Karen B. Walant, PH.D., L.C.S.W.

Background

I’ve been in practice for over 25 years, having graduated with a Ph.D. in Clinical Social Work from New York University. I often supervise other clinicians in private practice and have taught courses at NYU. I lecture around the country on issues related to attachment, mindfulness, compassionate relationships, and parenting. I am also a Board Certified Social Worker, licensed in both Connecticut and New York. In 1995, I authored the book Creating the Capacity for Attachment, which was met with critical acclaim and remains influential today.

A long-time meditator, Karen is certified as a qualified Level 1 instructor in Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy, under the guidance of co-founder Dr. Zindel Siegel and other MBCT senior instructors. She is a 2022 graduate of the 9-month intensive Certificate in Mindfulness and Psychotherapy through the Institute for Meditation and Psychotherapy. She is also a Mindfulness Meditation Mentor, a continuation of training offered by MMTCP. Karen is also a 2021 graduate of the 2- year Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Training Program (taught by meditation experts Tara Brach and Jack Kornfield along with other experienced mindfulness teachers). She also provides expert knowledge to journalists with mental health queries and writes articles on relevant mental health and healing issues for various media outlets, such as her article on Being Wise that was featured in Well + Good.

I am a life-learner, fascinated by the world we live in. In particular, I love to learn about neuroscience, meditation, spirituality, mindfulness, nature, and biology. In my free time, I love to take long walks, to bike and to swim. I deeply enjoy reading, researching, writing and meditating. I am fascinated by the knowledge, constantly being updated, about the brain and the body/brain connection. My husband and I have three post-college children who are now pursuing their own lives and dreams, and, like all parents, nothing gives me more pleasure than seeing them flourish in their chosen fields.

I bring the seasoned wisdom of over 25 years of experience to my work and life. I have worked with many clients through very stressful times and tough decisions, and I trust that the therapeutic process will bring about the right results at the right time. And, having witnessed a shift in psychotherapy to approaches that include neuroscience, bodywork, and practical suggestions, I have a much larger repertoire than ever before – and can offer many different approaches to find solutions that are all-encompassing and thorough.

I believe in the importance of cultivating awareness as a critical starting point for change. While there are many things we need to learn to accept, there are always opportunities for change. I am an optimist at heart and have seen the miracles of recovery that therapy can bring. I believe that change can and will happen, and that part of the excitement of therapy is not knowing the outcome until the answers become apparent, something that takes skill, patience, and faith in the process.

I always approach therapy sessions with the fundamental view that you are the expert in your life and that I am essentially a facilitator to help open you up to your inner, wisest self. I will coach and encourage you to have the courage to become the person you really are and, as a fellow traveler in life, will reciprocally share what we both learn about living, along the way. Having seen my three children raised to adulthood, I am more relaxed and comfortable in the knowledge that things do work out, and believe wholeheartedly in our capacity to rewire our brains and change unhelpful thought and behavior patterns.

I have always understood the importance of empathic warmth and the relational bond that grows between client and therapist as treatment continues. In fact, early in my career, I became so annoyed that therapists and clients were routinely feeling shamed about developing a genuine connectedness as part of the treatment process, that I wrote a scholarly book entitled, Creating the Capacity for Attachment. The truth is, therapeutic connection IS part of what creates a safe, comfortable place within which to explore inner thoughts and feelings, as well as to try out new behavioral strategies.  To my surprise and delight, this book was well-received and, from feedback I received as well as the many speaking engagements I have had the honor of giving since then, I have become part of a ‘movement’ within psychotherapy to allow clinicians to become more accepting of their own attachment feelings toward clients, and vice versa. This book was also one of the pioneering influences that led to research and treatment approaches that recognize attachment as crucial to successful outcomes. This means that therapists and clients can now relax in knowing that the trust they build together, the bond they build together, is deeply connected to the healing process itself. My book and lectures seem to inspire and assist clinicians and clients in letting themselves develop more genuine and deeply felt connections with those they work with.

The Power of Therapy

As the years have gone by, I have seen again and again the profoundly positive difference that therapy can make. Many people I worked with years ago will call for ‘check-ins’ every now and then, while others will simply let me know that our work has ‘remained as a voice in their head’ when they need inner coaching, and still others choose to continue in ongoing counseling sessions as a commitment to deepening their self-discovery process and gaining new tools and skills.

The ingredients that go into building the therapeutic connection include active listening, respect, empathy, working through moments where disagreement or misunderstanding occurs, and trusting that, deep within each client, is knowledge and wisdom that is unique to their own psyche – that they inherently have the ability, the desire, and the wisdom to heal and grow. It is my work to coach you to become free of what has paralyzed you, and to help you become all that you can be.

It has been said that the paradox of the therapeutic relationship is that, while it is through closeness and depth of honesty and truth telling that healing occurs, once healed, the relationship lessens and is internalized. In the end, you become your own inner coach/your own inner therapist. While you may have some ongoing ‘tweaking’ you’d like to continue doing, the goal of therapy is for you to become more compassionate with yourself, grow in your ability to coach yourself through difficult moments, and feel free to live the life you so deeply want.

Scheduling, Location & Licensure

I see patients by appointment, and am flexible with both daytime and evening hours. Weekend appointments are also available. My Ridgefield, CT, location allows me to serve people from a wide variety of areas including Westchester County, NY, and the Greater New York Metropolitan area. Frequency of appointments and duration of treatment are individualized based on your unique needs and therapy goals. I also offer online, phone, Skype, FaceTime, and text-based coaching.

I would be glad to speak with you about scheduling an appointment. You can contact me by phone or email at 203-482-2402 or kwalant@gmailcom.

For our first appointment together, I like to schedule one hour and 15 minutes to ensure that we cover all bases and establish rapport. All remaining appointments are 55 minutes, which is long enough to allow for a complete treatment, including fully immersing into discussions, time to recap, and any suggestions we may have for subsequent sessions. Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) individualized treatment requires a more extensive timeframe, which we can discuss and arrange during our first appointment.