Karen M. Thornton

Karen is a Registered Social Worker, Psychotherapist based in Oakville, Ontario who has worked with individuals, couples, and families of various racial, cultural, and religious backgrounds. She founded KMT The Learning Group as she acquired years of experience in the field of psychology, sociology, and social work. Karen is passionate about learning and developing therapeutic tools and skills that meet the needs of clients in the area of relationship attachment, trauma, addiction, and mental health, learning disabilities, career, and life dissatisfaction. As a registered social worker, psychotherapist, she specializes in concurrent disorders that impair the lives of individuals, couples, and families. Karen’s personal experiences have granted her insight into the skills needed to build healthy connections with her clients that are transferrable to other relationship-connections in the client’s life. Karen has her Honours Bachelor of Arts degree in Social Work from the University of Western Ontario, King's College, and a Masters of Social Work- Critical Analysis of Social Work degree from McMaster University.

In her studies and in further post-graduate training, she has developed skills in and practices Intergenerational Trauma Treatment Model (ITTM), PTSD, Emotionally Focussed Therapy, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Brief Solution Focussed Therapy, Narrative Therapy, Internal Systems Theory, Strengths Perspective, Mindfulness Theory, Psychodynamic Therapy, Anti-Oppressive Practice, Relational Life Therapy.

Karen has been supervised for many years by a number of licensed psychologists that commenced in 2001 to the present. She has developed many skills in the area of psychometrics and psychotherapy. She has worked with children and adults diagnosed with ADHD, ADD, Learning Disabilities, Oppositional Defiance Disorder (ODD), and concurrent diagnosis. Karen has also worked with Acquired Brain Injury/Traumatic Brain Injury individuals. Karen believes that each person is unique and does not try to fit the individual or couple to a theory but rather uses an eclectic approach in applying her training, based on the clients’ needs.

Karen provides counselling/psychotherapy at three clinic locations (Oakville, Maple, and Ajax) to meet the varying needs of her clientele.

Clinical Director / RSW / Psychotherapist