About Claire Karakey, LPC

Every journey begins with the courage to start.

I believe that participating in mental wellness and growth is one of the most worthwhile investments you can make in yourself. Counseling is a place where we can celebrate successes as well as sit together during uncomfortable times. I am rooting for ALL of the revelations – even setbacks can be viewed as progress!

Outside my role as Clinical Director, I enjoy working with a small caseload of both children and adults. I have advanced trainings in treating depression, anxiety, trauma, dissociation, addiction, chronic pain or illness, grief and loss, OCD, and phobias. I also have extensive training in shame, complex trauma, and understanding negative thinking loops. I am proud to be EMDRIA certified in EMDR therapy and also an EMDR consultant.

Being a therapist and helping others has been a dream since I was 12 years old, sitting on the other side of the couch. Therapy was a gamechanger for me then – and it still is today. I feel that it is beyond essential to help people learn and accept who they are to better connect to themselves and others.

Now that I am a certified supervisor in the state of Arizona, I also love mentoring other counselors to help them flourish and develop their own unique style and specialties. I am honored to lead and support the amazing team of talented therapists we have here at Claibourne Counseling!

I am both a Sun Devil and a Wildcat!

I am a Tucson native and attended the University of Arizona. I explored my love of sports by representing the women’s tennis team and began my career as a special education teacher. As a teacher, I taught functional academics, such as life skills, sportsmanship, social skills, and more. Then I continued to Arizona State University for my Masters of Counseling to pursue my passion for helping people on a more individualized level.

At home, I enjoy music, cooking, watching movies, game nights, and spending time with my husband, Chas, and our family and friends. The dog park is my happy place – and Rosie and Hank, my golden retrievers, probably agree! I am also a cat person… Harry and Herbert are my two feline fur babies.

As a lifelong learner, I embrace the journey of discovery and improvement every day. And I’m thrilled you’re here to begin this next step with us!