About
Cara Root, MSSW, LCSW
Hi! I’m Cara. I would like to say that my ideal day involves being out on some grand adventure or sitting at the beach listening to the waves (and I do like those activities, don’t get me wrong), but it really is snuggled under a blanket on my comfy couch, reading a book. Married to an outdoorsy kind of guy, we find compromise in my being “outside-y.” If I can still have a clean bathroom, a warm spot to sit, and respite from the bugs, I enjoy our time outside. Even better is if I can have a hammock and a book! Once a reluctant homeschooling parent, I have since embraced this role in my season of life and found such joy in teaching my kids. Well, most days. Some days it is just really hard! But I like a good challenge and have a rather healthy dose of perseverance.
I work with clients who are struggling in their current season of life, with anxiety, with parenting, with satisfaction, with infertility/pregnancy loss. As a parent myself, and a parent who has experienced repeated pregnancy loss, I have the ability to understand your situation (although different than mine, of course) in a way that only one who has been through it can do. For many years, my practice consisted mostly of children and teenagers and their parents, addressing the difficulties that arise within families from both the side of the children and the side of the parents, ultimately finding balance for the family to be content and healthy. This allows me, as a therapist, to understand what is going on with your child developmentally and behaviorally to better help you in your role as a parent, which can actually help you enjoy your motherhood more.
I am almost a native Virginian (since age 5) and received my Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology and Religious Studies from the College of William and Mary. My experience in internships with Prison Fellowship Ministries brought me to have a heart for people who are struggling in their lives, leading me to a Masters of Science in Social Work degree from the University of Texas at Austin. I am also a Board Approved Supervisor for social workers working toward their LCSWs. I have spent my career working with young children, with abuse survivors (both DV and sexual abuse), with those with chronic illnesses, with teenagers growing into their own people, with young adults trying to figure out their way in the world, with those grieving the losses of loved ones, relationships, and the lives they thought they would have, and with so many mothers struggling with anxiety and sadness.
I am friendly and empathetic, with a good listening ear. I use a mixture of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Mindfulness, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), Motivational Interviewing (MI), and play therapy (yes, sometimes I even have adults “play” too). I follow the needs that you present as we move toward your goals for how you would like your life to improve, encouraging and supporting you as we remove barriers to a happier and more fulfilled you.
"There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you" - Maya Angelou, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. There is beauty in your story and a strength within you, and I would love to assist you in releasing your untold story while writing the next chapter with health and healing.