Psych. Karen Weber, Clinical Psychologist

I began studying psychology in 1996, with a foundation that included humanistic therapy, psychodynamic therapy, systemic family therapy and behavioral therapy. I earned my Bachelor’s degree in Clinical Psychology at CETYS Universidad, Tijuana campus, and later a Master’s in Human Development at Universidad Iberoamericana, focused on Carl Rogers’ person-centered approach.

I’m a member of the American Psychological Association, and I’m currently completing certification as a cognitive behavioral therapist with the Beck Institute in Philadelphia.

Additional training includes couples therapy, eating disorders, the Enneagram, and psychological first aid.

Why I work with people who moved here

I was born in Guadalajara and grew up in Tijuana, a border city where two languages and two cultures overlap daily. I later lived in Europe for several years, and I’ve been in Puerto Vallarta since 2010.

So the experience of building a life in a language that isn’t your first, far from the people who knew you before, is one I’ve had myself. I mention it for one reason only: when a patient describes the disorientation of a second year abroad, or the guilt of missing home while living somewhere beautiful, I’m not working from a textbook description of it.

That said, what I bring to the room is clinical training. The lived experience shapes the questions I know to ask — it doesn’t replace the work.

How I work

I don’t apply a single method to every person. Depending on what you bring and what you need, I draw on person-centered therapy, Gestalt, cognitive behavioral therapy, positive psychology and systemic family therapy. I understand a person as a whole of emotion, body and mind, and I think those three need to be treated together rather than separately.

Sessions are 50 minutes, in English or Spanish, whichever you’re more comfortable in.