Karen Bradt

Karen Bradt is a licensed clinical social worker in Florida and a certified trauma professional with 15 years of clinical experience. She earned a Bachelor of Social Work and a certificate in Addictions from the University of Central Florida, followed by a master’s degree in clinical social work from the same university.

Her clinical work has included supporting people with anxiety, panic attacks, agoraphobia, borderline personality disorder, and depression, as well as those who have histories of physical or psychological abuse, self-harm, sexual abuse, and other forms of trauma.

Karen blends traditional talk therapy with education about how trauma affects brain function and with practical tools and action steps designed to create lasting change. She values conversation but emphasizes that intentional practice and small behavioral changes are often necessary to retrain the brain’s reactions to triggers.

She approaches therapy as a collaborative process - providing knowledge of techniques while recognizing that each person is the expert on themselves. Her typical process begins by getting to know what a client wants to work on, offering education about specific diagnoses and brain function, and then taking small, manageable steps using the tools she teaches. Clients are asked to try new techniques and to give feedback if something does not work so an alternative can be tried. Even brief steps, such as asking a client with agoraphobia to sit in a different room for five minutes, can be meaningful.

Karen also pays attention to physical health and activity level, reflecting research that movement can support mood and recovery. She brings personal experience to that focus: she hikes regularly, serves as an activity leader for the Florida Trail, and holds a wilderness first aid certification. If hiking is not appealing, she works with clients to find other physical activities that suit them.