My communication style is calm and personable. I empathize with and challenge the perspectives of people I work with.

I am a board-certified Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) with 2 years of experience in the mental health field. I work with clients across the lifespan who are navigating challenges such as anxiety, mood challenges, stress management, and adjustment difficulties. In my practice, I focus on helping clients stabilize mood, reduce anxiety, enhance emotional regulation, strengthen relationships, and build long-term resilience, while supporting their overall growth and quality of life.

"What lies behind you and what lies in front of you pales in comparison to what lies within you" -Ralph Waldo Emerson My approach to helping you is one that incorporates examining relevant aspects of your past, discussing goals you might hold for your future, and most importantly, discussing the strength that you hold inside of you. In experiencing despair and the discomfort of vulnerability, we often lose sight of our strength and potential for growth. My goal is to assist you in learning the essential coping skills you might need in your life. I also aim to facilitate growth in the realms of mind, body, and soul. I understand the correlation between the physical and psychological aspects in life, which can sometimes become unbalanced and may create discomfort, which can even feel debilitating at times, and I want to help you make sense of some of the symptoms you may be experiencing. Contact me to restore the balance in your life and be free of the despair or dissatisfaction you may be currently experiencing.

My work combines my personal knowledge and experiences of the special challenges and gifts that define the creative experience with insight work and mindfulness-based psychotherapy. I've worked with writers, musicians, dancers, painters, computer programmers, tattoo artists, and more, to help them work through creative issues, relationship problems, anxiety, and many other concerns. In my experience, people who have spent their lives developing their creativity have a unique skillset which is often overlooked as a place from which to draw strength and guidance in building relationships, coping with stress, and making life decisions. I tend to focus on strengths: you might be surprised at what you already know. You can read more about my work with creative people at my external site, linked at left.

Talking about sex and problematic sexual behaviors is often stigmatized by society, family or culture. My main goal is provide a safe place where one can openly discuss sexual concerns and we can work together to determine if they are problematic or to discuss the impact of another's sexual behaviors on you. Too often, it is assumed that therapy around sexual addiction or sexuality is about stopping one's sexual behavior. Here, we work to define your sexuality as an individual. Work may include trauma focused work in order to gain access to underlying concerns, or it may involve sex education to best claim your sexuality. Working with loved ones of sex addicts, including parents, often includes shame reduction and healthy boundary work. Whatever the work is, you are part of the treatment team and the most important part of guiding therapy.

I have been working in the helping field related to counseling for almost 20 years. In that time I have learned that the best way to help others is to be an excellent listener, to be compassionate, empathetic, and to collaborate with individuals to assist them in gaining the tools that they need to make positive change in their lives. I work hard to encourage clients that the strength for change lies within them and my job is to help them find it. I utilize a great deal of mindfulness based techniques and believe that learning the process of becoming more mindful in life can be extremely beneficial to problem solving and learning to sit with discomfort. As a counselor I do not believe that I have all of the answers or can fix anyone, however, I do believe that if the client is willing to do the work to create change in their life that I can assist them in doing so successfully. Ultimately, my goal for the counseling relationship is to assist clients in managing stress more effectively and learning skills that can be used well after the counseling relationship has terminated, in a straightforward and honest approach.

**I have a limited number of in-person and telehealth sessions available. Please contact me to see if I am a good match and our schedules align.** My initial goal in therapy is to deeply understand the unique individual sitting across from me. I take a holistic approach to this task. I understand that the mind, body, spirit, and relationships are all connected and impacted by one another. I think of my clients as more than just a collection of problems and diagnoses. I want to understand your strengths and talents as well as your struggles and areas for growth. I also want to understand where you have come from and where you would like to go. As we better understand how your life story impacts your current feelings, motivations, and relationships, you will likely experience increased self-acceptance and the ability to make to make better decisions about your future. Intellectual insight alone, although useful, is often not enough to allow clients to fully make the kinds of life changes that they desire. Consequently, I also utilize methods from more action-oriented approaches to therapy that focus on obtaining new skills and practicing new behaviors. These skills are often focused on learning new ways of managing difficult feelings and improving communication and intimacy in relationships. I believe that a therapist and client should work together as a team. I will bring my energy, experience, and compassion to the therapeutic relationship. I ask you for openness, honesty, curiosity, and a willingness to experiment with new ways of thinking, feeling, and behaving. My goal is to work with you to help you achieve a greater sense of happiness, peace, integrity, and satisfaction in your life.

"We are only as needy as our unmet needs" - John Bowlby At Matters of the Heart Counseling, we specialize in working with families parenting children from hard places (adoptionfoster care). We have a team of people ready to assess and provide a fully developed plan for working with your family. We utilize individual, family and couples therapy and also incorporate Neurofeedback as appropriate Matters of the Heart Counseling was established out of Karen's desire to provide, teach, and cultivate quality mental health counseling with an attachment focus to those specifically desiring a Christian faith-based perspective. All of our counselors have experience and specialized training to work with trauma and specifically, adoption. Many of our therapists can support a Christian perspective. Karen’s primary focus is to supervise and work with the team of therapists at Matters of the Heart Counseling to ensure quality services and therapy for all who enter our practice. Karen is specially trained in EMDR (through EMDRIA approved trainer), and Level II Certified Internal Family Systems therapist. Karen additionally utilizes the creative arts in her therapy through the use of art, sand tray, and other creative outlets as it is often difficult to find words for the experiences one has endured. Karen is a trained Neurofeedback technician, incorporating it into sessions. Karen closely supervises the clinicians on staff to impart her experience and cultivate their growth. Karen also enjoys being a speaker at conferences & has spoken on topics of adoption, self-injury, compassion fatigue, and trauma, Please contact Karen for her speaking fees.

Do you have the same fights? Does anything ever get resolved? Do you long for a simpler time when things were better between you and your partner? Do you talk only about logistics and the kids? Are you roommates and want to be lovers? Do you feel alone even though you are surrounded? Are you stuck in your relationship? I understand. I've helped numerous couples learn new skills, develop a better process for resolving differences and navigating life so that .... at minimum, you like each other at the end of the day. In my work, I include individual and couples therapy and add group therapy when the time is right. With this 360-degree view of each individual in the couple, the patient is able to see their self-defeating patterns and practice new skills in couples and groups to become a better partner. I also work with individuals in their work roles in a similar fashion.

I have a deep regard and respect for a person who is on a healing journey. I look at each person individually. You come with your own unique life experiences and health goals. Through assessment and goal setting, we come up with your own unique treatment plan. My belief is we are total system and my approach is to support you in a Holistic matter; Body, Mind, and Spirit; using powerful tools, skill building, and compassion. My goal is to be a partner for you to achieve well-being.

I think the most important part of being a good therapist is genuinely caring about the well-being of the people I work with. I am an empathic therapist, and work to create a warm and welcoming environment for those I see in therapy. This sets a foundation that enables us to talk about what brings you to therapy, whether it be hopes, struggles, fears, conflicts, etc. Together, we will explore your concerns and wishes, and uncover what is standing between what life is like now and what you want it to be. I will help you recognize and understand the barriers that keep you from feeling the way you want to feel, and work with you to break through those barriers, which can result in greater satisfaction in relationships, work, and day-to-day life. I also provide support and guidance for those experiencing life transitions, such as marriage, children, loss, divorce, and those new to the city who are having trouble adjusting. I think that it is important to recognize that, although we all have limitations, we also have strengths and resources. I have a flexible approach to therapy, and have been trained in a number of different modalities that allow me to cater to your specific needs.

Ann “Lisa” Peralta is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in Virginia with over 34 years of experience providing clinical assessment and therapeutic care to adults seeking help with a variety of issues. These issues include substance use challenges, stress, depression, and anxiety, to name a few.