As a clinical therapist, Dr. Carlson seeks to bring an embodied presence to the clinical relationship. Twenty-five years experience as a social activist and community organizer affords her a broad understanding of how greater systems may challenge and impact health in individuals and communities.
Over the past twenty years, she has had the opportunity to work with children, adults, families, and communities through a variety of health and social service programs in both the non-profit sector and public government departments. It has been an immensely rewarding experience to create healing and learning processes and programs with other leaders in the field.
Some of the many roles she has held as a practitioner include advocate and case manager, outreach worker, clinic coordinator, grant writer, program manager, group facilitation trainer, clinical group supervisor, community organizer, clinical mental health therapist, social work clinical faculty, spiritual teacher and clinical researcher. As a result of these experiences and more, she brings a broad scope of resources and community connections to her practice.
Before beginning her own private practice in 2007, Cara worked for nine years as the clinical social worker at the Powderhorn Phillips Cultural Wellness Center. During this time, she provided clinical and therapeutic services to individuals and families within a cultural context and was trained by cultural elders to work within the African, African American, Native American, Latino and European American communities.
Working as part of a multidisciplinary and multicultural team, Dr. Carlson was able to assist in improving the physical, emotional, and mental health of families by using therapeutic intervention and community strengths as a resource for individuals to take responsibility for their lives and their families. In the process of building relationships, providing psycho-social and diagnosis assessments, developing goal and care plans, she sought to compassionately meet them where they were at, while continuously supporting them towards greater healing and wellness.
Throughout this time, Dr. Carlson has gained extensive experience working within culturally appropriate and sensitive interventions and I have been deeply committed to providing social work care that is both clinically sound and holistically empowering to the strengths and needs of individuals, families, and communities.
Anam Cara Therapies PLLC. 