What services does Carbajal Counseling & Consulting offer?

At Carbajal Counseling & Consulting, we provide evidence-based outpatient mental health services including anxiety therapy, depression therapy, EMDR therapy, child therapy, teen therapy, family therapy, and marriage counseling. Our goal is to help individuals, couples, and families across all ages find healing and strength.

Who can benefit from therapy at Carbajal Counseling?

We help people of all ages — children, teens, adults, couples, and families — who are facing emotional, behavioral, or relational challenges. Whether you're dealing with stress, life transitions, or deeper trauma, our team is here to support your emotional well-being.

What can I expect during my first therapy session?

In your first session, we will listen to your concerns, gather relevant history, discuss your goals, and begin creating a personalized treatment plan to support your mental health journey. We aim to make the first visit informative and comfortable.

How does anxiety therapy work at Carbajal Counseling?

Our anxiety therapy focuses on structured approaches that help you understand and address anxious thoughts and behaviors. We provide coping strategies, explore triggers, and tailor treatment to your specific needs so you can reduce worry and improve daily functioning.

Can Carbajal Counseling help with depression?

Yes, we offer compassionate support for depression that helps you understand how emotions and thoughts affect your mood, build coping skills, and work toward improved happiness and functioning.

What is EMDR therapy and how does it help?

EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is an evidence-based therapy that helps individuals process distressing memories and trauma. EMDR works by engaging both cognitive and emotional healing mechanisms, helping people integrate past experiences in a healthier way.

Do you offer therapy for children?

Yes, we provide child therapy that helps young clients express emotions, develop coping tools, and work through challenges like anxiety, behavioral issues, and school concerns in a safe, supportive environment.

What is teen therapy like?

Our teen therapy creates a nonjudgmental space for adolescents to explore stress, identity, peer relationships, and emotional challenges with support tailored to their developmental needs.

How can family therapy help my family?

Family therapy at our practice helps families improve communication, navigate conflict, support children's emotional needs, and rebuild connection. We work collaboratively with families to create healthier relational patterns.

Can therapy help with parent-child conflict?

Yes, family therapy is effective for reducing parent-child conflict by creating shared understanding, teaching communication skills, and involving children in ways that help them feel heard and supported.

Do you provide marriage counseling?

Yes, our marriage counseling services support couples in improving communication, resolving ongoing conflict, rebuilding trust, and strengthening intimacy within the relationship.

What kinds of mental health concerns do your therapists treat?

We treat a broad range of concerns including anxiety, depression, trauma, behavioral struggles, grief and loss, relationship issues, and life transitions. Our therapists are trained to approach each concern with evidence-based strategies.

What makes your therapists qualified?

Our team includes licensed clinicians with diverse training and expertise in trauma, play therapy, EMDR, cognitive behavior therapy, family systems approaches, and more. We match clients with therapists whose strengths align with their needs.

Do you offer therapy in-person and online?

Yes, we provide both in-office therapy at our Kaysville, Syracuse, and Ogden locations and secure telehealth sessions so clients can receive care in the way that works best for them.

Is therapy confidential?

Yes, all therapy at Carbajal Counseling is private and confidential. We follow professional and legal standards to protect your privacy and create a safe space for healing.

How long does therapy typically take?

Duration varies based on personal goals and needs. Some people engage in short-term therapy to address specific issues, while others benefit from ongoing support as they work toward broader growth and resilience.

Can therapy help with trauma or past painful experiences?

Yes, trauma-informed approaches including EMDR and other evidence-based methods help clients process past distressing experiences and reduce their impact on present life and functioning.

How can play therapy help children at Carbajal Counseling?

We use play therapy to help children express and process complex emotions in a natural, nonverbal way. Through guided play, children can build emotional awareness and coping skills in a setting that feels safe and engaging.

How do I schedule an appointment?

You can schedule by calling our office at (801) 989-3488, emailing info@carbajalcounseling.com, or using the contact form on our website to begin your therapy journey.

Do you accept insurance and what are my options?

Rates and insurance acceptance vary by clinician and plan. We recommend contacting our office or your insurance provider to confirm coverage, out-of-network benefits, or self-pay options that suit your situation.

I have a great life and everything I need—my anxiety doesn’t warrant counseling.

If anxiety is compromising your quality of life—regardless of how many support systems you have in place—then you deserve to feel better. A counselor can help you to understand where your anxiety comes from and provide you with lifelong skills for managing its impact on you. There is no reason to suffer in silence; therapy can be a great resource for you.

I don’t understand how play therapy will help with my child’s anxiety.

Because children express themselves primarily through play, play therapy is a useful tool in helping children to understand, process, and verbalize their emotions. Your child’s therapist will incorporate play therapy into their anxiety treatment in a way that will not only help them to understand your child’s fears but will also give them an opportunity to model healthy coping behaviors for your child. This evidence-based approach has been highly successful at targeting mental health issues in younger populations. And we have seen our child clients who struggle with anxiety make great strides in counseling using this modality.

Why can’t I just take medication for my anxiety?

Though medication can be a quick fix for alleviating symptoms of anxiety, it doesn’t do anything to treat the core issue of the problem. A counselor, on the other hand, can give you tangible, lasting skills that will promote positive change in your life so that anxiety doesn’t create so many setbacks. Furthermore, we know from research that psychotherapy is more effective than medication when it comes to treatment for anxiety.

Karla-ann whitaker

CSW

Certified Social Worker

Philosophy

“Each person has the power to overcome life’s challenges. Therapy helps individuals uncover their strengths, gain new tools, and create positive change. My goal is to guide clients through evidence-based models to foster self-love, recognize inner strength, and build healthy connections that support their peace and potential. I am passionate about the power of family units in all their forms and helping children and youth develop skills through play therapy and creative thinking.”

Specialties

Self Harm
Parenting Issues
Play Therapy
PTSD / Trauma
Anxiety
Stress Management

Education & Experience

Bachelor of Science in Social Work, UTAH STATE UNIVERSITY (2000).

Master of Science in Social Work, UNIVERSITY OF UTAH (2022).

Karla-Ann, nicknamed K.A. by her college roommates, loves dancing—especially tap, jazz, and hip-hop—despite not being particularly skilled with any style. As a single mom of five kids and three grand puppies, she enjoys supporting her children in band, baseball, basketball, musical theater, art, and comedy shows. In her rare free moments, Karla-Ann enjoys action movies, karaoke, and naps.

The value of community inspired Karla-Ann to become a therapist, recognizing that mental health impacts both individuals and their environment. As she volunteered in other countries including South Korea, Indonesia, and Kazakhstan, she gained insight into how family, culture, language, support systems, and connections influence people on both macro and micro levels.

Dedication to building strong communities is evident in Karla-Ann’s work within the foster care system, where she has supported reunification, kinship care, and foster parent adoptions. These experiences have reinforced her belief that it takes a team to raise a child into a well-balanced adult. More recently, she has worked in school-based settings with children from preschool through junior high, focusing on behavior modification, IEP accommodations, and supporting the needs of neuro-diverse students. Karla-Ann sees the powerful progress that can be made for both students and parents when teachers, therapists, and other professionals collaborate to overcome the obstacles in a child’s educational journey.

Karla-Ann has several years of experience with agencies supporting first responders in trauma recovery. This gave her opportunities to address a wide range of mental health issues from an adult perspective and she quickly learned even grown-ups benefit from play therapy. Working with both inpatient and outpatient clients, Karla-Ann was able to expand her knowledge of client-led therapy, client self-awareness, and the process of strength-based therapy. Making goals and practicing changes we wish to see our key to a successful therapy treatment. Therapy should always involve goals set by the client and parents (if applicable) and plans should be made to reach those goals with safe and realistic expectations.

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