Today we’d like to introduce you to Cara Thompson.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I have a Bachelor’s degree in Equine Business Management, not the start you might expect for a Marriage and Family Therapist. It did not take a full year to realize the equine industry was not the long-term career I desired, partly due a life (and face) altering traumatic experience. I packed up my horse, dogs, and various other critters and headed for graduate school in a clinical counseling program knowing very little about the profession. Fortunately, I fell in love with the complexity of humans, suffering, our extraordinary capacity for growth and evolution, and the relationships that are often central to each story.
My career began in community mental health counseling, in a Child, Adolescent, and Family department to be precise. I developed a love for working with childhood trauma and helping parents figure out how to navigate their own histories of trauma while parenting a kid with post traumatic stress. From there, I led a Family Therapy Training Clinic embedded in a school district that worked closely with University partners, a variety of school support staff, and district leadership in serving extraordinary kids and families who were struggling. The last 3 years I led that program, I was simultaneously in a full-time PhD program. I made so many sacrifices to do it, but those challenging years enabled me to shift to academia. I’m currently an Assistant Professor in a Clinical Mental Health Counseling Program and I have a small private practice on the side where I specialize in the intersection of trauma, stress response adaptations, and the relationships that matter most.
If it has to do with how pain and fear and loss affects our brain and bodies or it has to do with the longing to be seen and understood and desired by those closest to us – I’m interested.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I love hiking and biking and a good metaphor, so I’ll do my best. Now that I live at the coast, many trails are smooth, or at least flat. Some days feel like a stroll down to the neighborhood pond, but if I reflect on the path over almost 2 decades in this field, I’ve navigated steep inclines, low valleys, rocky trails, many breaks to admire the beauty around me, a few falls, and my fair share of twists and turns.
Some of my inclines have been trying to reach a goal – like a PhD – that I thought would never realize. That one felt like getting 80% up a hill on your bike and having to dismount to waddle the rest of the way up on foot. Another was adjusting to academia as it has been far more difficult than I expected! I remember riding along my favorite trail when I lived in GA. I was beebopping over some little roller coaster hills having the time of my life. I misjudged something and found myself in the dirt, bloody, and miles from my car. That feels like a strong metaphor for the personal losses and a few health issues along the way that have affected my emotional energy in this field at times. Bruised and sore and perhaps a little slower than usual, but onward, still. Moves and transitions away from organizations and people I loved dearly has always been difficult for me. Simultaneously missing my favorite familiar trails while blazing new ones.
The very nature of being a therapist is a twisty challenging trail, I suppose. It’s a weird and wonderful profession. Many of us do personal work with our own therapist, we confront our own trauma, biases, our insecurities, our inadequacies, our humanity – often on a daily basis. We face systems we cannot change and we watch clients leave our offices and return to complex situations that won’t shift overnight. We give and we care and we focus and we serve and we attune – and fight not to lose ourselves along the way. We care deeply about the stories we are honored to hear from our clients and try to find the time and financial resources to keep growing, keep learning, and keep evolving so we can keep up with them on a little piece of their trail.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
I have a small private practice where I specialize in stress response adaptations from early life stress and how these manifest in family and romantic relationships. Practically speaking, I see a lot of couples. Individual clients that find me are often navigating trauma and its effects on romantic, parenting, or work relationships or even the relationship with themselves. I’m known for my warm presence where I focus on ensuring the person in front of me feels seen and heard and safe to explore the uncomfortable with a pace that they control. And I like to think my terrible goofy jokes are part of any fame I might claim.
I don’t feel competitive with other therapists and love building them up and referring to them as often as I’m able. I really enjoy collaborating with other therapists where one of us might be the individual therapist and the other the couples’ therapist for shared clients. I’m terrible at branding and well-aware that I shouldn’t admit that in a public forum. Perhaps if I wasn’t full-time faculty in a graduate counseling program, my branding would be on point (probably not). But, I love both of these roles and maintaining an active practice is important to me! I offer individual therapy, family therapy, couples therapy, and intensives (extra long sessions up to a full day). I’m self-pay only and don’t accept insurance and offer routine sessions at 60 or 90. minutes, though I admit a slight preference for a 90 minute session! I offer free consultation where I’m transparent about what I can offer and how I work best. I always offer alternative contacts if a potential client or couple feels I’m not the best fit.
If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
I was convinced I was going to be a horse and dog “trainer” if riding Orcas around the ocean didn’t work out (thank you, Free Willy). My little sister, who is still my best friend and favorite person, and I would name our bikes (the horses, of course) and skateboards (the dogs) and create elaborate scenarios and stories in our little suburban yard. I had (and still do) a remarkable talent for finding 4-leaf clovers. I loved snacks and adventures and learning. Any other millennials read the family’s set of encyclopedias just for fun? Just me?
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.cmttherapyandconsulting.com/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61587419918714
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cara-thompson-2599582b
