Dr. Karen Helmeke has been helping individuals, couples, and families work through their life challenges for over 25 years. Dr. Helmeke works from a family systems perspective, and part of what she finds appealing about working from this perspective is that it allows us to view individual problems within various frameworks that exert an influence on all of us, including the family life cycle, family of origin, community and wider sociocultural contexts (such as race and ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation and identity, age and class). Dr. Helmeke believes that it is normal for us to become stuck in our communication and interactional patterns from our past and present as we face new challenges, and she is committed to working with clients who may occasionally need a bit of help in becoming unstuck in order to move forward in their lives in healthier, more productive, and more meaningful ways.
Dr. Helmeke is licensed as a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) in the State of Michigan. Dr. Helmeke is a Clinical Fellow in the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT) and is an Approved Supervisor.
Dr. Helmeke earned her doctorate in Marriage and Family Therapy from Purdue University in 1998. Although Dr. Helmeke identifies as a Christian, she works in a sensitive manner with those from all faith backgrounds, respecting clients’ beliefs and practices from a broad variety of backgrounds, including those who do not ascribe to any certain faith. She is sensitive to men’s and women’s issues and the ways these issues play out in relationships. She has extensive knowledge of the intergenerational impact of family patterns on emotional and physical health and well-being, conflict-resolution and communication patterns. Typical issues her clients want to address in therapy include anxiety and depression related to relationship issues, couple conflict/issues, infidelity, loss and grief, parenting issues, stepfamily issues, divorce issues, premarital work, and working with adults who are working through relationship issues with siblings and parents.
To learn more about Karen, please visit her Psychology Today page. To schedule an appointment with Karen, please call the main office at 269-459-1818. Dr. Helmeke currently is seeing clients via telehealth.
Areas of experience, interest, and skill:
- Couples Therapy
- Relationship Issues
- Family Issues
- Enhancement of Relationships/Divorce Prevention
- Family Systems/Genogram work
- Premarital Work
- Adult Family of Origin work with their adult parents and siblings
- Parenting
- Trauma
- PTSD
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Loss and Grief
- Women’s Issues/Gender
- Older Adults
- LGBTQIA+
- Spirituality/Religious Issues
Insurance Accepted:
- Aetna
- BCBS
- Carebridge EAP
- CentraCare
- CHAMPS
- Meridian
- Optum VA
- Priority
- Ulliance EAP
- United Health
