Karen received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan, and worked a number of years with college students around the country with Cru, before earning her master’s degree in counseling from Denver Seminary. Karen worked at another local counseling agency prior to opening Oakland Hills Counseling in 2008 with her husband, Rob. She is a member of American Association of Christian Counselors (AACC)
Karen Shive specializes in working with women, adolescent girls, and couples at Oakland Hills Counseling. She utilizes a variety of therapy modalities including Emotionally Focused Therapy, the Gottman Method, Exposure and Response Prevention, and Internal Family Systems. Karen and her husband, Rob, lead marriage and premarital workshops, retreats, and designed the MarriageBuilders teaching and small group curriculum. She is passionate about helping couples develop emotional, spiritual, and physical intimacy, and grow in their communication and conflict resolution skills. Karen also teaches on many parenting, marriage, and women’s issues in addition to her counseling work.
As mother to an internationally adopted child, she is dedicated to helping parents and adopted children understand their unique issues and grow to thrive.
Karen likes to spend most of her free time with her husband, family, and good friends. She enjoys watercolor painting, photography, being in nature, participating in and watching many sports, and music of all kinds. She also loves to laugh. Karen is on the women’s leadership team at her church, and is a frequent women’s and mom’s group speaker and Bible teacher.
