About

Cara Thompson, PhD, LMFT, LMFT/S is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Counseling. She earned her master’s degree from Columbia International University in Clinical Counseling with a Child and Family concentration. She earned her PhD in Counselor Education and Supervision from University of South Carolina. Cara’s current clinical specialties focus on the neurobiological sequelae of early life stress, the resulting stress response adaptations, and how these adaptations affect individuals within the context of relationships. She has experience in community mental health settings and school-based settings working both in direct care specializing in PTSD, mood disorders, ADHD, and parent-child relationships and in leadership roles addressing discipline disparities and crisis response. Cara’s research focuses on neuroscience-informed relational therapies, trauma-informed education, and interdisciplinary collaboration. Cara serves on the editorial board of the ACA IAMFC’s The Family Journal and is the Field Placement Coordinator for UNCP’s Clinical Mental Health Counseling students. Cara grew up in the foothills of North Carolina and now lives in the Wilmington, NC area with her family. Dr. Thompson's curriculum vitae is available here.