Karen Forsthoff, LMFT

I agree with the one-star review mostly except not so harsh. I understand the frustration it was written with. There were some good moments, mostly in individual sessions, but our family sessions mostly added confusion and did surface-level treatment rather than getting to the bottom of things. Usually left therapy feeling misunderstood and like it wasn’t a good match or was a waste of time - feeling hurt, confused, unheard, and more divided which led to an overall feeling of lack of safety. It did contribute to further triangulation and discord like that other person experienced. Ultimately, we didn’t resolve much or feel better after many sessions. It was disappointing. I genuinely wanted things to get better and it felt like continued stagnation with Karen, if not steps backwards sometimes.

I worked with Karen for about a year and a half. At the time that we started our sessions, I was stuck in an abusive relationship, felt deeply unhappy, and was floundering in many aspects of my life. Karen provided a space for me to listen, learn, and connect with myself and my body. She was always punctual, kind, attentive, and thoughtful in her communication. She never told me what to do or tried to diagnose me or force me in a direction-- she gently but firmly nudged me to make my own decisions to improve my life. Our work together completely transformed the trajectory of my life-- she helped me heal past trauma, inspired me to make changes that ultimately benefited my life, and taught me techniques to manage my depression and anxiety. I recommend her with full confidence and wish I could still work with her even though I moved out of state!

I've loved working with Karen the past few years. We started sessions at a time that I felt lost, lonely, and anxious. Her gentle, kind spirit and ability to "see" me has been such a gift and I look forward to our sessions every week.

Our family’s well-being and cohesiveness is more damaged now than before working with Karen. She is professionally sloppy in her coordination of family therapy sessions, which added unnecessary confusion and stress. She often monopolized the therapy time, seemingly more interested in educating than fostering communication between us. No raising with family members how damaging their behavior has been and helping surface the underlying causes. Completely missed key issues creating the discord, undermining the relationships and causing triangulation. I completely regret ever working with Karen and have my family work with her.