Kari Perez, LCPC

Kari Perez is a licensed clinical professional counselor (LCPC) practicing in Maryland. She has ten years of clinical experience supporting people facing anxiety, depression, stress, motivation struggles, self-esteem issues, and addictions. Kari approaches each person with respect and clear, practical help. Kari earned a Master of Science in Counseling Psychology from Loyola University in 2011. Early in her career she spent four years in a long-term residential program helping adults who had both addiction and mental health needs. She has also worked in outpatient settings, both in person and virtually, with adults, children, and teenagers. Her style blends several methods so she can match tools to a person’s needs. In sessions she treats the person as the expert on their life and partners with them to set realistic goals. That might mean building coping skills for daily stress, addressing patterns that keep someone stuck, or finding motivation for change. Kari often focuses on practical life skills alongside emotional work. She helps people with communication problems, body image and self-love, parenting strains, and grief. She also supports those working on smoking or vaping cessation and people navigating postpartum concerns or seasonal mood changes. Clients can expect a collaborative, straightforward process aimed at meeting personal goals and improving everyday functioning. Kari emphasizes small, manageable steps and uses her experience to help people become the version of themselves they want to be.

How her approaches guide online work

Kari often draws on cognitive behavioral therapy and client-centered methods to structure online sessions. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) focuses on identifying unhelpful thoughts and testing new behaviors, which can help with anxiety, mood, and addictive patterns. Client-centered work emphasizes listening, empathy, and collaborating on goals so the person feels heard and in charge of change. Finding the right mix of approaches is a team effort. She will talk with each person about their needs and preferences and try methods that fit those goals. Over time, they adjust techniques based on what helps most. If you are considering online therapy, confirm the available session formats before booking. Online work can make it easier to fit sessions into a busy week and reduce travel time. It can also let people use different pacing - for example, shorter check-ins when schedules are tight or focused skill-building sessions when working on things like quitting smoking or managing cravings. Licensed professionals can adapt exercises and homework so progress continues between meetings.