Karmen received her PhD from the Couple and Family Therapy program at Antioch University New England (AUNE). She earned both her Bachelor’s in Psychology and her Master’s in Mental Health Counseling, with a Specialization in Marriage and Family Therapy from the University of South Florida, Tampa campus. She is also a recipient of the AAMFT Dissertation Completion Minority Fellowship and a mentor for the AAMFT Minority Fellowship Program. Karmen is also the Membership Chair for the Groves Conference on Marriage and Family.

Karmen has experience working with adults, children, adolescents, and families (biological, foster, and adoptive) in/with:

• Depression
• Anxiety
• Grief and Loss
• Behavior/ODD
• Family Conflict
• Parenting Psychoeducation
• Couples Counseling
• Trauma/PTSD
• Child Welfare/Abuse/Neglect
• Child Removals and DCF Involvement
• Reunification Therapy
• Substance Abuse
• Adoption

Karmen is an enthusiastic therapist who is knowledgeable in human development and behavior while committed to ethical practice. She completed her internship at a private, inpatient, substance abuse recovery program and has since worked in community-based mental health, Specialized Therapeutic Foster Care, and the Partial Hospitalization Outpatient Program at a behavioral health hospital. She works with both individuals and families struggling with anxiety, depression, trauma-related pain, and family dysfunction. Karmen believes in the importance of fostering a strong therapeutic relationship, which centers on meeting the client(s) where they are and walking with them on their journey towards discovering their authentic self.

Karmen is passionate about research and studies that promote awareness of the intersectionality of mental illness, substance abuse, and social injustice. In addition, she plans to contribute to the field of marriage and family therapy by engaging in participatory research with adoptive and foster families that addresses mental illness and substance abuse from a social justice perspective. She recently completed a study funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) System of Care grant that assisted in developing wrap-around services for the Monadnock region in the New England area. Karmen is a Florida native that enjoys expressing her creative side through singing, painting, and ballroom dancing.