Psychologist

Dr. Karen Molano

Thanks for stopping by! I’m Dr. Karen Molano, Founder of LumiTot. I am a bilingual clinical psychologist who specializes in children to improve their brain health and overall wellbeing and my passion is working with first time parents with children ages five and under. 

I have had incredible success treating some of the most severe conditions in children of all ages. What’s my secret? I give people the gift of hope and wholeheartedly believe

that all individuals have the ability to thrive; that each day is a new opportunity to become a better version of oneself; and that everyone we come across plays an important part in our journey. I believe that individuals hold the power to happiness and wellbeing within themselves and I set out to empower you and your family to discover a path to optimal wellbeing that resonates and aligns with you!  

I earned my Doctorate in Clinical Psychology from Pepperdine University and my undergraduate degree from UC Irvine. I have worked under the private and public sector as a clinician and a clinical supervisor under programs that serve children and adolescents ages 0-17, young adults, and their families. I have spent many years working in community mental health with children and adolescents that have endured various levels of neglect and abuse. I have extensive experience in leadership, infant and early childhood mental health, brain development, and trauma.

I have dedicated the last 20 years to improving the brain health of children and have been devastated over the increasing decline in physical and brain health of people across the globe. The trend I frequently notice is that children with psychological disorders are now developing them at an increasingly younger and much faster rate. I also notice that parents have very little support when they bring a new life into their homes.  I just knew that our current systems were simply not enough, and my curiosity and passion led me on a journey to look for the missing piece of the puzzle.

 Through my own long journey of self-discovery and physical healing, including coping with endometriosis and infertility, I stumbled across alternative methods of healing that drastically improved my health and my overall mood! I became enlightened and fascinated with the whole- body approach to wellness and brain optimization. It hit me that it

was time to embrace a new vision and I embarked on a postdoctoral path to seek knowledge that could better serve the world. 

As of today, I have advanced training in neuro-nutrition and gut health, integrative mental health, divorce mediation, and completed the infant-parent mental health fellowship through the University of California Davis and the Parent-Infant and Child Institute, where I was trained by the world’s leading experts in infant and early childhood development. I am now one of the few professionals endorsed by the state of California as an Infant Family and Early Childhood Mental Health Specialist.

I was inspired and founded LumiTot, a comprehensive wellness organization dedicated to children five and under, which focuses on neuroscience based parenting strategies and integrates them with functional medicine to optimize the brain. 

I created the LumiTot Method where I combine my expertise in child psychology, integrative mental health, neuro-nutrition, mindset and spirituality, and brain and gut health to bring a revolutionized approach to parenting that supports a child’s overall wellbeing. We provide parents a customized lifestyle blueprint that targets the most critical and important years of their children’s lifespan: the first five years.   

What I strongly believe is that preventative measures are crucial for the future of our children and that we must work together to stop troubles before they start. If we target the most

important years of life, the first five years, then our children will be more resilient and less vulnerable well into adulthood and old age.

Services should not be reserved for those who decompensate; rather our knowledge and expertise would best be shared with everyone. 

There is an imminent need to provide the extensive support that is often limited or missing from the moment a child is conceived and through the early years of life. As individuals, we hold the power to wellbeing within us! It is simply a matter of illuminating the path and providing each other with love and support so that we don’t lose sight of that light. As a community, it is ideal to come together to focus on the heart of well-being, which incorporates eight pillars of health: mindset and spirituality, nutrition, gut health, social and emotional development, exercise and movement, environmental factors, stress reduction, and cognitive development.

It is my passion to promote a holistic and whole-body approach to optimal wellbeing so that children and families can feel confident, supported, and heard. I am on a mission to help families maximize their joy in the journey through parenthood and to help children sustain the happiness, purity, and love that they brought forth when they entered this world. I am excited to join forces with you to discover the strengths of our team that will light the best path to wellbeing! 

A little more about me… I am a native of Colombia and fluently speak English and Spanish. My French is a little rusty, but I was semi-fluent once upon a time! I am also mother to the love of my life, my ten-year-old boy, Michael who was miraculously born after the many struggles of infertility.

I love to travel every minute I get! I also love to dance, sing, and listen to music. Nature and especially the ocean bring me peace and fill me with joy, so I try to spend as much time outdoors in natural settings. I love to weight lift and exercise and somehow I managed to find lots of bravery in me and have participated in bodybuilding competitions, which have also taught me a lot about physical health and mental toughness. 

Life is full of ups and downs, but it is during those difficult times that I have grown the most and I embrace those times as they have made me a better version of myself. My love for my family, children, the universe, and for finding the everyday beauty and miracles that life has to offer lies at the heart of my passion. 

Education and Advanced Training:

• Clinical psychologist
• Integrative Mental Health Medical Practitioner
• Neuro-Nutrition
• Brain Optimization
• Trauma
• Infant, Family, and Early Childhood Specialist
• Divorce Mediation

Areas of Expertise:

• Infant and Early Childhood
• Trauma
• 
Depression
• Anxiety
• Parenting
• Adjustment Disorders
• Behavioral Difficulties
• Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
• Mood Disorders
• Divorce/Separation

Lumitot

Dr. Karen Molano

Psychologist