Kari Perez, MD, LCPC

Kari Perez is a licensed clinical professional counselor in Maryland. She combines practical techniques with a client-first attitude to help people manage stress, anxiety, addiction, and mood concerns. Kari draws on ten years of experience to guide straightforward, goal-focused work.

She trained at Loyola University, earning a Master of Science in Counseling Psychology. Early in her career she spent four years in a long-term residential program supporting adults with co-occurring addiction and mental health concerns. That work shaped her skill at addressing motivation, life skills, and substance use challenges.

In outpatient settings she has worked both in person and virtually. Those roles included supporting adults, children, and teenagers with depression, self-esteem, grief, and coping through life changes. She uses a mix of approaches so sessions match a person’s needs rather than fitting a fixed format.

Kari treats the person as the expert on their experience and acts as a partner in problem solving. Sessions focus on clear goals and practical steps clients can try between meetings. She also draws on mindfulness and motivational techniques to support lasting change.

People often come to Kari for help with parenting stress, relationship and communication problems, body image and eating concerns, ADHD, postpartum mood issues, or smoking and vaping cessation. Her approach is direct and compassionate, aimed at building skills and small wins that add up over time.

Evidence-informed approaches for online care

She commonly uses cognitive behavioral techniques to identify unhelpful thinking and try new behaviors; this approach helps with anxiety, mood problems, and changeable habits. Client-centered work is another key part of her practice and focuses on listening, validating the person’s experience, and building goals the person wants to reach. Dialectical behavior therapy skills are also used when emotional regulation, distress tolerance, and interpersonal effectiveness are priorities for someone seeking help.

Finding the right approach is collaborative. Kari will discuss what matters most to the person, try strategies that match goals, and adjust methods as progress unfolds. The first sessions often focus on practical steps and a simple plan to test between meetings so both therapist and client can see what helps.

Online therapy offers flexibility and several ways to connect. Video calls let the therapist and client work face to face when visual cues help. Phone sessions use less bandwidth and can fit easily into a break from work. Live chat and text-based messaging are useful for brief check-ins, skill coaching, or when shorter, more frequent contact works better. These options make it easier to fit consistent care into a busy life while focusing on skills and goals.