Karina Fernandez

Karina Fernandez is a Tennessee licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) with 16 years of experience in mental health care. She works with stress, anxiety, trauma and abuse, grief, depression, addictions, self-esteem and relationship concerns. She also supports people dealing with parenting strain, sleep problems, compassion fatigue and major life transitions.

Fernandez has worked in settings that serve people with depression, anxiety, PTSD and other mental health challenges. She has direct experience with survivors of violent crime, including sexual assault, domestic violence and robbery or assault, and with people processing homicide and complex grief. Her background includes supporting first responders and caregivers facing burnout and secondary trauma.

Her approach emphasizes straightforward, practical work in the room. She draws on client-centered methods to follow what matters to the person. She uses cognitive behavioral techniques to identify and change unhelpful thinking and behavior patterns. Dialectical behavior strategies are used for emotional regulation and distress tolerance.

Fernandez also incorporates mindfulness to build moment-to-moment awareness and EMDR for processing trauma when appropriate. Sessions focus on skills you can try between meetings and steps that help with day-to-day coping. She will work with clients to address relationship issues, family of origin concerns, codependency, abandonment feelings and related topics.

Services are offered in English and Spanish. She helps people whose lives have been disrupted by loss, disaster, caregiving stress or long-standing family problems. If you are questioning what comes next after a change, Fernandez aims to support practical steps forward.

How her approaches translate to online sessions

Client-Centered Therapy focuses on listening and reflecting what matters to you, helping clarify priorities and next steps. It is useful when someone feels uncertain or stuck and wants a respectful, collaborative conversation about options.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) breaks problems into thoughts, feelings and behaviors. Online CBT sessions often include concrete exercises and homework to test new ways of thinking and behaving, which can help with anxiety, depression and stress. Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) offers short skills for managing strong emotions and tolerating distress, and those skills can be practiced in between sessions.

Choosing the right approach is part of the work. She will collaborate with clients to decide which methods to try based on the person’s goals, preferences and what arises in early sessions. That choice can change as needs shift.

The biography does not list specific session formats, so please confirm the current online options before booking. Many people find online sessions help fit therapy into a busy day, make scheduling easier or allow for shorter check-ins when needed. Discussing practical needs upfront helps match session length and pacing to everyday life.