Karen Schanche, LCW, APSHW-C, SEP has nearly 43 years of clinical social work experience in which she has worked as a clinician, educator, researcher, and psychotherapist focused on palliative and end-of-life care. She received her MSW degree from San Francisco State University in 1980 and since 1986 has maintained a private psychotherapy practice in San Francisco wherein she uses an attachment/relational/systems approach working in the specialty areas of serious illness, healthcare provider burnout, psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy, medical trauma, grief and bereavement, sexual health and disability with individuals, couples, and families.

Karen retired from a 25-year career at UCSF in 2011 only to then consult and work with PAMF, Marin General and for the past seven years, with Kaiser Permanente Medical Center, San Rafael, CA, as part of their first Outpatient Palliative Care Clinic embedded within Kaiser's Oncology Center. While at UCSF, in addition to co-developing and working as part of the Symptom Management & Palliative Care Outpatient team, she led numerous initiatives promoting a transdisciplinary team model of care in both Pediatric and Adult Service areas cultivating contemplative medicine practices that fostered connection, improved communications supporting clarity, presence, compassionate inquiry, creativity, and flow, as well as addressing moral resilience and the detrimental effects of moral distress on healthcare providers, patients and families.