Karen Armstrong

Lead Behavior Services Professional

Hi there! My name is Karen Armstrong. I am a Behavior Professional with Among Friends, LLC.  Prior to coming to Among Friends, I worked in Special Education for 16 years, mainly with adolescents and young adults.  I believe behavior is communication and I'd like to find positive ways to understand one another. 

In my free time, I love to travel. I have visited almost 40 countries. One of my greatest joys has been to travel with adults with disabilities and explore the world with them while making new friendships. I also like to go on motorcycle rides with my partner. Last year we took a trip along the Oregon coast during the summer and it was amazing.  Hiking, listening to music, reading and ecstatic dance bring me a lot of joy.  

 Anytime I'm a part of a team that creates new opportunities for supported people, I feel very satisfied.  I look forward to meeting you and helping you live the biggest life you have been dreaming about.

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Get to Know Karen

  • I like to hike, travel, listen to live music, read, meditate, and ride motorcycles.

  • I have 3 dogs and 1 cat: Morsel (16 years old pomchi), Benny (9 years old Boston Terrier), Lola (6 years old Boston/Frenchie Mix), and Lilipad (10 years old American short hair kitty).

  • I live in a community with several friends and my partner. I have a tiny house that is parked on the property, but I share common spaces in the main house with beloved friends and partners.

  • I have a son named Zachary. He 27 years old and lives in Atlanta, GA. He has been married 3 years to his high school sweetie, Erin. I love them both very much and feel proud that they are my family every day.

  • I’m from Hillsboro, OR. I lived in Seattle, WA for 20 years, but my son really wanted to attend the University of Oregon, so I moved back to Hillsboro in 2012.

  • It actually had a great impact on my life and work. It forced me to slow down and focus on myself in ways I had not taken the time to before because life was always so busy. It convinced me that I wanted to change my work to something that involved more writing and more working from a home office.

  • In 2018, I visited my spirit home- Rhodes, Greece. It is beautiful there. It is surrounded by water, contains loads of history from ancient times to more recent history, and has the most delicious food! I can ‘t wait to go back there and visit again!

  • My first concert was Alabama and I was in the 8th grade.

  • My favorite book is The Stand by Stephen King. I love the ways King develops the characters and tells stories through their voice

  • Pizza. Pizza. Pizza. Do you see a theme?

Professional Information

  • University of Oregon (BA History) and Western Washington University (MAT)

  • 20 years (as of 2024)

  • I’ve worked in telecommunications and insurance sales.

  • I believe behavior is communication and I’d like to find positive ways to understand one another.

  • Anytime I’m a part of a team that creates new opportunities for supported people, I feel very satisfied.

  • I’ve had professional mentors since I was in my early 20’s. This has long been a critical part of my professional development. While mentors do often cheer me on, they often are more focused on helping me set goals, mitigate barriers I experience, and provide the kind of critical feedback I need to improve my skills.

  • I love that everyone at Among friends is committed to supporting individuals with a variety of abilities having whole lives.