Kara Holthaus, MA, LCPC
Hi. I’m Kara Holthaus, LCPC.
This work is personal for me. I became a therapist after experiencing my own transformation as a client in therapy. I know how much courage it takes to step into healing, and I hold that process with deep care.
I bring to this work both clinical training and lived experience. I identify as a white, cisgender woman, and a former Christian. I am in recovery from high-functioning codependency due to growing up with emotionally immature and high-conflict parents. I have experienced deep rupture, ambiguous loss, and betrayal. These parts of me shape how I understand shame, people-pleasing, self-worth, and the tension between looking successful on the outside while feeling disconnected on the inside.
I have also experienced healing, growth, and change. This has happened both in and out of individual therapy. It has woven through therapy groups, ACA 12-Step meetings, therapy intensives, body work modalities, books, podcasts, friendships, graduate school, meditation, journaling, and even walking, audio books, and gardening. Ultimately, as I have integrated and sifted through all of this work, my anchors have become: radical self-acceptance, genuine self-compassion, comfort with grief, and holding life with open-palmed respect for complexity. I am still on the journey.
Before becoming a counselor, I worked for over 15 years in nonprofit operations and corporate account management. I grew up in the rural Midwest and now call the DMV home. Outside of work, I love exploring coffee shops, playing card games, and fussing with my native flower garden. Currently, I am cultivating a taste for reading fiction.
I believe therapy works best when it honors the whole person, including the identities, stories, and systems that shaped us.
I serve clients throughout Maryland via Telehealth, including professionals in Frederick, Bethesda, Potomac, Columbia, and Ellicott City. Coaching and consulting services are available more broadly, including for clients in Loudoun, Fairfax, and Arlington Counties and Falls Church, as well as Washington, D.C.
How therapy works at Heart Centered Therapy
Action Oriented. Compassion Focused. Heart Centered.
Our work focuses on identifying patterns that no longer serve you and healing the roots beneath them. You can read more about how I approach this work in depth, including how I integrate EMDR, parts work, and somatic therapy.
Our work will be collaborative and structured. We work within clearly defined goals and regularly review progress to ensure the work remains intentional and supportive. This process also works as a natural complement to those currently in family or couples counseling with another provider.
Heart Centered Therapy is a safe and affirming space for LGBTQ+ clients and people from diverse racial, cultural, and spiritual backgrounds.
Credentials
I am a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor in the State of Maryland. I hold a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from George Mason University and a Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Eastern Mennonite University.
I am trained in EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) through EMDRIA. I have completed Conflict Influencer® training through the High Conflict Institute for navigating high-conflict personalities and coparenting dynamics.
My clinical approach is rooted in Attachment Theory and influenced by systems theory. My approach to change, recovery, and the impact of trauma in humans is founded in Interpersonal Neurobiology, the work of Dan Siegel, an interdisciplinary framework for understanding how mind, brain, and relationships integrate. Additionally, I draw on Polyvagal Theory to understand the nervous system, the body, and the relational roots of healing.
In addition to the above influences, these clinical texts have deeply shaped and contributed to my theoretical approach:
Contemplative Psychotherapy Essentials by Karen Kissel Wegela
The Transforming Power of Affect by Diana Fosha
Psychotherapy and Counseling for Depression by Paul Gilbert
The Heart of Trauma: Healing the Embodied Brain in the Context of Relationships by Bonnie Badenoch
To integrate theory with real world application, I am informed by and draw on Pia Mellody's Post Induction Model for developmental trauma, family-of-origin, and inner child work. This helps clients understand how childhood experiences shape adult relational patterns and vulnerability to betrayal. I also draw from Kelly McDaniel's work on mother-daughter relationships and relational loss. I use both of these models, and others named on My Approach page, to bridge the gap between theory and practical application for clients in their relationships with themselves and others.
Areas of Focus
Betrayal Trauma: infidelity and relational deception
Emotional Abuse: patterns of control, gaslighting, and diminishment
Relational Trauma: high-conflict relationships, toxic workplaces, coparenting dynamics
Childhood Trauma: family-of-origin wounds, hyper-responsibility, mother-daughter wounds
Adult Child / ACA / Family Dysfunction: codependency and growing up with addiction or family dysfunction
Resources
View my resources tab to get a better idea of my philosophy and influences.