Karen Crawley-Buckholtz , MD, LCPC, LPC

Karen Crawley-Buckholtz is a licensed clinician practicing in Maryland and Virginia with nearly two decades of professional experience supporting people through grief, trauma, relationship challenges, mood concerns, and life transitions. She holds a BA in psychology from the University of Maryland Baltimore County and an MA in counseling psychology from Bowie State University, and she is a Certified Grief Informed Professional. Her background includes focused training and work with grief and loss, stress and anxiety, depression including perinatal and postpartum depression, trauma, hospice and illness-related care, disability issues, and the needs of first responders, active duty military members, and veterans.

She brings an adaptable, client-centered stance to therapy, tailoring evidence-informed techniques to each person rather than following a single rigid method. She emphasizes respect, sensitivity, and compassion while helping clients identify strengths and build practical tools to address the things that challenge them. Karen collaborates with people to define meaningful treatment goals and to choose approaches that fit their preferences and circumstances.

Taking the first step toward treatment often requires courage, and Karen meets that step with steady support and practical guidance. Her approach is grounded in helping clients recognize their resources, develop coping strategies, and move forward at a pace that feels right for them.

Therapeutic approaches and online care tailored to your needs

Karen uses client-centered therapy to place each person at the center of the process, focusing on listening, empathy, and collaboration so clients can explore their goals and strengths at their own pace. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, is presented as a practical, skills-oriented method that helps identify unhelpful thought and behavior patterns and replace them with more adaptive strategies to address anxiety, depression, and stress-related concerns. Dialectical Behavior Therapy, or DBT, offers structured tools for managing intense emotions, improving interpersonal effectiveness, and building distress tolerance for people facing mood instability or chronic emotional overwhelm.

Choosing the right approach is part of the therapeutic journey, and Karen works collaboratively with each person to determine what fits best based on their needs, goals, and preferences. She adapts methods as progress unfolds, combining elements from different approaches when that supports better outcomes.

Online therapy with Karen is offered through video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging to provide flexibility for different schedules and comfort levels. These options make it easier to access licensed professionals from home, during breaks, or while managing caregiving or work responsibilities, helping therapy fit into everyday life rather than requiring major changes to routine.