Therapist profile
Karissa Thomas, LMSW
Michigan
LMSW - Relationships and Codependency
Continue with KarissaWhere Karissa stands
- Credentials
- LMSW
- License
- LMSW, Michigan / 6801108127
- NPI
- 1003345380
- Experience
- 7 years
- Languages
- English
- Location
- Michigan
About
- Boundaries and people-pleasing
- Emotion regulation skills
- Attachment-informed work
About Karissa
Karissa Thomas is a Licensed Master Social Worker, LMSW, practicing in Michigan with seven years of clinical experience. She works with adults dealing with stress, anxiety, relationship strain, grief, addiction, mood differences, and codependency. Sessions focus on what you want to change and on practical steps to get there.
Karissa uses a straightforward, curious style in sessions. She listens without judging and asks direct questions to clarify what matters to you. She emphasizes honest conversation and helps people name patterns that leave them drained or overly responsible for others.
Her methods include acceptance and commitment work, attachment-informed perspectives, client-centered listening, cognitive-behavioral techniques, and skills drawn from dialectical behavior approaches. Those tools are used to help with boundary-setting, regulating strong emotions, managing distress, and shifting unhelpful thoughts and behaviors.
Karissa often focuses on real-life problems such as people-pleasing, trouble saying no, coping with someone else's substance use or mood swings, and recovering a sense of self after loss or caretaking strain. She also supports concerns around eating, sleep, parenting stress, and career pressures.
Sessions move at a practical pace with concrete strategies and homework when helpful. Karissa invites clients to bring their real situations into the room so work is relevant and immediately useful. She offers services in English and accepts international clients, and uses a subscription-based payment model that can be canceled at any time.
How sessions work
How her approaches translate to online work
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, or ACT, focuses on clarifying values and taking committed steps toward them while learning to notice difficult thoughts without getting stuck. It can help with anxiety, codependency patterns, and life transitions by making change feel actionable. Attachment-Based Therapy looks at how early relationship patterns shape current expectations and reactions. It can help people understand why they give too much or fear abandonment and then try different ways of relating. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, CBT, breaks down upsetting thoughts and behaviors into manageable pieces and introduces experiments and practice to shift unhelpful cycles. It is useful for anxiety, low mood, and negative self-beliefs.Figuring out which approach fits best is part of the work. Karissa will collaborate with each person to choose methods that match their goals, preferences, and day-to-day life. She adjusts tools and pacing based on what is most useful and checks in regularly about how methods are working.
Confirm the exact online session options before booking because the biography does not list specific formats. Online work can make it easier to fit sessions into a busy week, allow shorter check-ins when needed, and reduce travel time. Some people prefer video for face-to-face interaction, while others like shorter phone check-ins or fewer on-camera sessions to conserve bandwidth or focus on skills practice. Karissa uses her clinical approaches to adapt exercises and homework so they fit into everyday routines.
Areas of focus
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
7+ years
Listed in
Michigan
Languages
English
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Does she help with people-pleasing and setting limits?
Yes. She helps people notice people-pleasing patterns and practice saying no through concrete exercises and role-based practice.
What is her general approach in sessions?
She uses a straightforward, curious style combining ACT, attachment-informed ideas, CBT, and DBT skills to focus on practical changes and emotional regulation.
How much clinical experience does she have?
Karissa has seven years of experience as an LMSW working with adults on stress, anxiety, relationships, and related concerns.
Where is she licensed and located?
She is an MI LMSW licensed in Michigan and practices from that state.
Which languages are supported for sessions?
Sessions are offered in English and she also accepts international clients.
What session formats are available?
Please confirm current session options before booking as the biography does not list specific formats.
How are sessions paid for?
Sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time and cost varies with location.
How do I begin working with her?
Select the See online therapy options button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule a first session.
Details come from information the therapist supplied to BetterHelp. A license can be checked with the state board.
Online talk therapy is not emergency care. If you are not safe at home, use the crisis and helpline numbers.