Meet Cara
Cara is a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor who is passionate about helping people feel less alone in what they are carrying. She provides compassionate, supportive therapy for individuals navigating anxiety, trauma, relationship challenges, life transitions, and emotional overwhelm. Her approach combines warmth, empathy, and evidence-based techniques to help clients better understand themselves, process difficult experiences, build healthier patterns, and move toward meaningful healing and growth in a safe, supportive space where they feel truly seen and heard.
About Cara
Hi, I’m Cara — founder of Hope & Healing with Cara. I am a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC) in California and a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) in Iowa. I provide compassionate, supportive therapy for individuals navigating anxiety, trauma, depression, relationship challenges, life transitions, and emotional overwhelm.
My journey into counseling was shaped by my own experiences with bullying, anxiety, depression, trauma, and rebuilding after difficult life seasons. Those experiences gave me a deep passion for becoming the kind of safe, supportive person I once needed myself and helped shape the empathy and understanding I bring into the therapy space today.
I earned my AA in Social and Behavioral Sciences from Butte College, my BA in Psychology from CSU Chico, and my MS in Counseling with a specialization in School Counseling from CSU Sacramento. I have experience working in both community mental health and private practice settings with children, teens, adults, and families.
Outside of therapy, I enjoy spending time with my husband and children, being in nature, exercising, and slowing down enough to appreciate life’s quieter moments.
Therapeutic Approach
My therapeutic approach is warm, collaborative, and compassionate, with a focus on helping clients feel genuinely seen, heard, and supported. I utilize evidence-based approaches including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Trauma-Focused CBT, Solution-Focused Therapy, Person-Centered Therapy, Positive Psychology, and Strength-Based techniques to help clients better understand themselves, build healthier coping skills, process difficult experiences, and create meaningful, lasting change. I believe therapy should provide a safe and supportive space where clients can explore challenges openly while moving toward healing, growth, and greater self-understanding.
