Karen Ackiss Klepzig is a dually licensed Professional School Counselor and Clinical Mental Health Counselor Associate in Asheville, North Carolina. Karen started her career as the first school counselor at both Montford North Star Academy and Asheville Primary School, transitioning to full time school counseling at MNSA for the next three years. Needing a change of pace, Karen left school counseling to focus on clinical mental health counseling, spending the next three years providing services as a private practice therapist and as a school-based therapist at Madison Middle School and North Buncombe High School through MAHEC.

After receiving the surprising, life-changing news that she’s AuDHD, Karen began to make connections between her neurodivergence and the populations she works best with. It made sense that she’s tended to connect especially well with neurodivergent clients and those who feel that they don’t belong. As a result, the practice is built around these populations and the gaps in services that Karen has recognized, particularly in regards to neurodivergent and other marginalized communities.

Karen’s therapeutic orientation reflects the populations she serves, including evidence-based practices like Safe and Sound Protocol, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, Internal Family Systems, and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy.

In her free time, Karen enjoys playing clarinet, singing, gardening, video games, live music, and spending time with her husband and their cat and dog.