Karina Fernandez

Karina Fernandez is a licensed clinical social worker with 16 years of experience in mental health care. She helps people facing depression, anxiety, trauma, grief, and stress. She speaks English and Spanish and practices in Tennessee.

She earned her master of social work at Loma Linda University in San Bernardino, California. Over the years she has worked in settings that support people with PTSD, mood disorders, and substance concerns. She has also provided care for survivors of violent crime and for people dealing with complex grief and loss.

Her style is straightforward and strengths-based. Sessions focus on what is most helpful now, whether that's skills for managing anxiety or steps to process painful memories. She uses therapies that teach measurable skills and encourage steady progress.

Karina draws on cognitive behavioral techniques to shift unhelpful thinking patterns and on dialectical behavior tools to manage intense emotions. She uses mindfulness to build awareness and calm. Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing is part of her approach for working through trauma-related memories.

People who come to her can expect a collaborative process where the therapist and the person set goals together. Her work often emphasizes practical coping strategies, clearer communication, and rebuilding daily routines after loss or major change.

Approaches for online grief and trauma care

Karina frequently uses cognitive behavioral therapy to help people notice and change unhelpful thoughts and behaviors, which can reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety. She also uses dialectical behavior therapy to teach emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and clearer communication skills for intense feelings or relationship strain. Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing is part of her work for processing trauma-related memories and complex grief, helping people gradually revisit and reorganize painful memories.

Finding the right method is treated as a team effort. She works with each person to choose or combine approaches based on symptoms, goals, and what feels most comfortable. The plan can be adjusted as progress is made and priorities change.

If you are considering online sessions, confirm the current session formats before booking. Many people find online work helpful because it can fit more easily into busy schedules, reduce travel time, and allow shorter check-ins when needed. Therapists can guide breathing and grounding exercises, teach CBT and DBT skills, and walk through EMDR-informed processing in a way that fits into everyday life.