Johanna Karasik
(she/her)
I am a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC.0018512) in the state of Colorado. I completed a Master’s in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at Adams State University, and previously earned a Bachelors in Psychology from Colorado State University (2003) and a Masters in Criminal Justice from the University of Colorado Denver (2015). I am the sole therapist and private practice owner of Defining Path LLC which opened in May 2020. I have a Certification in Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART) as a Basic ART Practitioner. Prior to my transition into counseling professionally, my career included 14 years working in college & university student services.
My career passions include:
Engaging adults of all ages to elicit their interests, values, and motivations
Supporting folks in times of need
Connecting individuals to communities and resources helpful to them specifically, and
Encouraging and challenging individuals to grow and succeed in ways that are uniquely meaningful for them.
Prior to private practice, my career focuses included conflict resolution, alcohol and other drug education and prevention, crisis response, advising navigation of administrative and legal processes, community safety, threat assessment, diversity and inclusion advocacy, and administratively overseeing a college counseling center.
Learning and growing is a lifelong process. I have completed a myriad of workshops and trainings on the above topics as well as areas in Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART), trauma-informed practices, social justice, cultural humility, ADHD, exposure response prevention (ERP), dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), grief, motivational interviewing, emotional intelligence, and suicide intervention. I regularly engage in trainings, workshops, videos, and networking events to further my development as a counselor and human.
Personally, I enjoy
walking on local trails,
listening to podcasts (Smartless, Office Ladies, & This American Life are current favs),
delicious tacos, phở, super sour candy, and big salads with lots of stuff,
connecting with friends and family (e.g. trading memes in the sibling group text)
playing games (Mah Jongg, Texas Hold’em, 2048, so many variations of Wordle),
reaprender español en Duolingo,
cheering on the Denver Broncos (when applicable), and
watching crime-related, comedy, or “reality” tv shows (Abbott Elementary, Home Economics, 90 Day Fiancé, Survivor, Better Call Saul…).
I LOVE working with clients in my private practice. I am from Colorado and have also lived in Baltimore, Delaware, Simi Valley, Los Angeles, and New York state. I live in the greater Denver area with my two fetch-playing kitties, Max and Cujo (below), who sporadically make brief video therapy appearances.
