Kara Cress is an Associate Marriage and Family Therapist who brings a trauma-informed perspective and deep understanding of emotional healing to her work with individuals navigating life's most challenging experiences.

With specialized expertise in relational trauma, medical trauma, and grief processing, she creates a safe therapeutic environment where clients can explore and transform their relationship with difficult emotions and memories. Kara particularly enjoys working with young adults and post-college-aged individuals, those experiencing grief or major life transitions, and people who feel diminished by previous parental, familial, or romantic relationships, understanding the unique developmental and relational factors that influence healing at these critical life stages.

Her therapeutic approach integrates trauma-informed Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Internal Family Systems (IFS), and Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT). This comprehensive framework allows her to address both the psychological and somatic aspects of trauma while helping clients develop the tools needed to safely process overwhelming experiences from their past, present, or future. Kara's methodology emphasizes creating a safe environment for exploration and transformation, helping clients move beyond survival into authentic self-expression and emotional connection.

With a Master's degree in Marriage and Family Therapy and specialized EMDR training, Kara brings strong academic foundations combined with evidence-based trauma treatment expertise. Her education has equipped her with a deep understanding of how trauma affects both mind and body, allowing her to provide holistic care that addresses the full spectrum of human experience. This comprehensive training enables her to work effectively with complex presentations involving anxiety, depression, and life transitions while maintaining focus on helping clients connect with their emotions, bodies, and inherent capabilities.

Outside the therapy room, Kara finds healing and renewal through her deep connection with nature and movement. She loves rock climbing, backpacking, and surfing—activities that reflect her understanding of the powerful relationship between physical movement, nature, and emotional well-being. These outdoor adventures provide her with firsthand experience of the healing power she helps clients access, informing her belief in the importance of embodied practices and connection with the natural world as essential components of mental health and authentic living.

• Kara's trauma-informed approach creates a safe therapeutic environment where clients can explore and transform their relationship with difficult emotions and memories, moving from overwhelm and distress toward peace and resilience through specialized interventions.

• Her expertise in multiple evidence-based modalities—including EMDR, IFS, and EFT—provides clients with diverse tools for safely processing traumatic experiences while building deeper connections to themselves, their emotions, and their authentic capabilities.

• Kara's deep understanding of the mind-body connection, informed by her personal relationship with movement and nature, allows her to help clients access the healing power of embodied practices and develop holistic approaches to emotional regulation and self-awareness.