About
Lisa Karasick, R.Psych, MSc.
Registered Psychologist Calgary
Psychology was never just a career choice. It grew from a genuine curiosity about people – why they think the way they think, why they respond the way they respond, and what gets in the way of living the life they actually want. That curiosity led me to the science, and the science gave me the tools. Understanding human behaviour through an evidence-based lens has always made sense to me. Not as a way to reduce people to categories, but as a way to understand them more precisely and help more effectively.
Over more than a decade of clinical work across community mental health, youth services, neurorehabilitation and private practice, I have had the privilege of sitting with people at some of the most difficult points in their lives and watching them move through those moments with more strength than they believed possible. What keeps me doing this work is watching people understand themselves more deeply. Liking themselves more. Finding that therapy finally makes sense in a way it never has before.
I established Karasick Psychology out of a genuine commitment to evidence-based care and a belief that people deserve more than a generic approach to something as significant as their mental health. Every person I work with gets a thorough assessment, a treatment plan built around them specifically and a clinician who is genuinely invested in lasting change. Not just short-term symptom relief.
"I believe that warmth, humour and genuine human connection are just as important as clinical expertise. You don't have to leave yourself at the door when you walk into therapy - and neither do I."
Clinical Approach & Philosophy
"I know it can be difficult to reach out for therapy. For many people, that first contact is the hardest part—but they’re often surprised by how quickly they begin to feel comfortable."
My graduate training grounded me in a scholar-practitioner model that continues to shape everything I do. Staying current with the research is not optional in my practice. It is what good clinical care requires. The field moves quickly and my clients deserve a standard of care that reflects that.
I draw primarily from Cognitive Behavioural Therapy but I have never believed in cookie-cutter therapy. No two people experience anxiety, trauma or chronic pain the same way, and no two treatment plans should look the same either. Every assessment, treatment plan and intervention I develop is shaped by the specific person sitting across from me. Their history, their personality, their goals and what has and has not worked before all matter. I work with adolescents and adults and I bring the same clinical rigour and genuine investment to both.
What the textbooks do not teach you is that progress is rarely linear, that the presenting problem is rarely the whole picture, and that the therapeutic relationship itself is one of the most powerful tools in the room. I have learned that from my clients, not from a manual. A decade of clinical work teaches you things that no amount of coursework can replicate. About resilience, about the way people carry difficulty, and about what it actually takes to change.
Warm and direct. Genuinely curious. Human enough that you do not have to perform wellness to be in the room. I will challenge you when it is clinically useful and you will always feel supported in that process. Structure provides direction. The relationship provides safety. Both matter.
Beyond therapy I offer comprehensive psychological and psychoeducational assessments for ADHD, autism, learning challenges and mental health. Assessment is often the essential first step. Understanding what is actually driving the difficulty changes everything that follows. Reports are written in clear, accessible language and include specific recommendations for treatment, accommodations and support.
The goal of therapy in my practice is lasting change. Understanding yourself well enough that the next hard thing does not undo you. Building the skills, the insight and the self-regard to navigate life with greater confidence and less suffering. That is the work. And it is work I take seriously.
If you are reading this and you are not sure therapy is right for you, or you are wondering whether what you are dealing with is serious enough to reach out, that hesitation is something I hear often and it is worth saying directly. You do not have to be in crisis to deserve support. Therapy is not about being broken. It is about building something better, with someone who takes both the science and your individual experience seriously.
The first session is an assessment. A chance for me to understand your history, what has brought you here and what you are hoping for. It is also a chance for you to get a sense of whether this feels like the right fit.
Credentials & Certifications
Credentials
10+ Years Clinical Experience
College of Alberta Psychologists — R.Psych #5086
Psychologists’ Association of Alberta
HeartMath Institute — Certified Practitioner
Canadian ADHD Resource Alliance — CADDRA Member
Certifications
Beck Institute for Cognitive Behavior Therapy – Depression & Suicide Workshop
Evidence-Based Treatments for PTSD – CBT & Prolonged Exposure Therapy
HeartMath Clinical Certification – Stress, Anxiety & Self-Regulation
Concussion: Prevention, Detection & Management – Université Laval & University of Calgary
Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training – ASIST
Calgary Communities Against Sexual Assault – CCASA
Indigenous Cultural Safety Training – Athabasca University & Indigenous Awareness Canada