Speaking & Facilitation

“Behind all seen things lies something vaster; everything is but a path,
a portal or a window opening on something other than itself.”
“Behind all seen things lies something vaster; everything is but a path,
a portal or a window opening on something other than itself.”

Antoine de Saint-Exupery

There’s usually a truer story just waiting to be discovered.

There’s usually a truer story just waiting to be discovered.

If I’ve learned one thing in all of my years of clinical work and guiding treatment programs designed for individuals with complex mental health diagnoses, it’s this: The presenting symptoms and the reported contexts are only part of the bigger, much more intricate narrative of the person, their experiences, and the legacies from which they spring.

The untold and sometimes unknown histories of our families can often hold the key to better understanding the origin of the symptoms, distress, and patterns that have been with us for most of our lives: insomnia, “random” anxiety or panic attacks, thoughts that seem to come from “nowhere,” and feelings that don’t make sense. Illuminating our generational legacies, witnessing the stories that emerge, and reconciling that which was previously unresolved can help light the way on the path to wholeness and freedom.

Otherwise, why would it be possible for…

…the “fixed” delusions of a young man with paranoid schizophrenia to resolve once the truth of a multi-generational family secret was revealed?

…the volatile and persistent emotional turmoil of a middle-aged woman diagnosed with a “chronic” personality disorder to soften and abate once a decades-old secret about her birth came to light?

…the severe, “treatment resistant” anorexia of a teenage girl to immediately begin to improve when the family began speaking of a traumatic incident held in secret for years?

There’s always another story behind the story, one that once discovered, seen, and treated with care, can offer hope and guidance on the path to liberty and health.

There’s always another story behind the story, one that once discovered, seen, and treated with care, can offer hope and guidance on the path to liberty and health.

My Favorite Topics

My Favorite Topics

Well-Sibling Syndrome

Living in the Shadows

There are many ways individuals learn to navigate life with a sibling living with a mental illness, and not all of them are healthy. There is a great need for support resources and ways to thoughtfully include siblings in treatment considerations to make sure the siblings do not pay the unnecessary price, and to affect healing and healthy development across the entire family system.

Developmental Disruptions

The “Real” Personality Disorder

Trauma, disruptions in attachment, or early exposure to long-term stress are some of the ways the development of a healthy, balanced personality gets sent off-course on a trajectory where intra- and interpersonal resourcing is interrupted. When we consider that unprocessed trauma masquerades as physical symptoms, our possibilities for real healing expand. 

Dr. Pleasants communicates powerfully with both the heart and the mind. I have appreciated all the effort. She puts into preparing and delivering presentations and have never regretted spending time listening to her.
Dr. Pleasants communicates powerfully with both the heart and the mind. I have appreciated all the effort. She puts into preparing and delivering presentations and have never regretted spending time listening to her.

Melissa Stevenson, LMFT

My Workshops

Creating Safety in Groups

A Culture of Shared Responsibility

Trying something different in the spirit of new learning, breaking old patterns, or navigating uncharted terrain requires a safe space in which to take risks, experiment, falter, stretch, and grow. Weaving together elements of communication theory, collective responsibility, and collaborative structure, learn from the wisdom of more than twenty-five years’ inclusion in and facilitation of relational group processes that can be applied to therapy groups, office work teams, training forums, support circles, and more.

Self-of-the-Guide

Balancing Gifts and Vulnerabilities

A fun and creative way to explore how we as guides, therapists, and coaches bring our signature storylines into our work and how to intentionally and purposefully use our whole selves in the process of supporting change.

The Art of Receiving

The Remarkable Challenge of Helpers

An engaging experiential process designed to experiment with roles, uncover the hidden blocks to reciprocity, and elicit the hidden gems of connection that can serve to deepen and enrich our ability to help, guide, and support.

Karlyn Pleasants is a captivating teacher because she is an exquisite human who listens deeply, reflects constantly, and somehow manages to integrate life lessons in nearly every interaction. She has a honed awareness of what really matters in a message and guides the room with attunement and care.

Her natural speaking volume is soft, forcing the listener to lean in to carefully hear what she is saying and watch closely to feel the unspoken meaning expressed through her gestures and bright eyes. Her spiritual awareness and use of metaphor reminds us that nothing is ever one-dimensional.

As my supervisor, mentor, and friend for over a decade, she has taught me how to engage in difficult conversations and artfully find the words to carry people where they need to go by reminding them of their own stories, our collective human story, and the unseen possibilities in the next chapter.
Karlyn Pleasants is a captivating teacher because she is an exquisite human who listens deeply, reflects constantly, and somehow manages to integrate life lessons in nearly every interaction. She has a honed awareness of what really matters in a message and guides the room with attunement and care.

Her natural speaking volume is soft, forcing the listener to lean in to carefully hear what she is saying and watch closely to feel the unspoken meaning expressed through her gestures and bright eyes. Her spiritual awareness and use of metaphor reminds us that nothing is ever one-dimensional.

As my supervisor, mentor, and friend for over a decade, she has taught me how to engage in difficult conversations and artfully find the words to carry people where they need to go by reminding them of their own stories, our collective human story, and the unseen possibilities in the next chapter.

Kayla Karesh, M.A.T., M.A.

Registered Art Therapist

Contact Me

For all inquiries regarding interviews, speaking engagements, workshops, or the book, please include your message and information at the link below.

CONTACT ME