Why do I have a blog?

Written By Karen Chambless, LPC-MHSP

I firmly believe that therapists learn a lot of information in graduate school and through our supervision, consultation, and further training experiences that could be beneficial for many normal people (which is what I call folks who aren’t therapists, à la Pete Enns). There’s no reason to gatekeep all of it for only folks who are actively in therapy. Even if you are never my therapy client, I’ll tell ya some of what I tell my clients. No one therapist has ALL the information anyway.

I’ll write posts here that I think are helpful. I’ll prioritize clarity and concision over long-winded explanations. I’ll cite my sources and do my best to have a “for more learning” section. I’ll try to make it clear when I’m sharing an opinion of mine vs something most therapists would agree with.

Sharing of information is one of the ways we take care of each other and resist propaganda. There is a lot of iffy, non-nuanced, and straight-up WRONG information floating around the internet and social media about mental health and psychology. No piece of writing can be totally free of bias, but I take my authority as a licensed mental health professional really seriously and won’t post anything I can’t stand by later.

Finally, if you’re on this website, I’m assuming you’d like to learn something about me (unless my blog posts just get truly incredible SEO… one can dream). Through these blog posts here, and through my posts over at Substack, you can hopefully get to know me and my values and what gets me up in the morning. Maybe it will help you feel a little more confident about reaching out to me if you’re looking for a therapist, or maybe it’s just helpful information communicated in a way that changes something for you. Either way, thanks for being here.

Karen Chambless, LPC-MHSP

Karen Chambless is a licensed professional counselor (LPC) in the state of Tennessee with Mental Health Service Provider (MHSP) designation. This means she has completed a masters degree in counseling from an accredited school, completed over 500 hours of training and clinical work while in school, passed two national examinations and a state exam, and practiced for over two years under supervision by an already licensed counselor, accruing at least 3,000 hours of experience and 150 hours of supervision. She is also a Nationally Certified Counselor from the National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC). Karen has been practicing therapy for 5 years, but spent the first 25+ years of her life as a quintessential eldest daughter and the “mom friend” of her friend group, so she’s had a long time to hone her listening and supportive-question-asking skills.

Karen Chambless is an expert and clinical specialist in religious trauma. She has advanced training and experience in treating both complex trauma and religious trauma, as well as training and experience working with folks figuring out their queer/trans identity and/or neurotype (Autism, ADHD, Highly Sensitive, etc). Karen identifies as Queer & Highly Sensitive and is passionate about supporting folks with LGBTQ+ and neurodivergent identities to grow and heal and be their whole magical selves.

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