Cara Comparone,LCSW

Hello! My name is Cara Comparone and I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker practicing in the state of Arizona. I am passionate about helping adolescents, young adults, and families who have experienced trauma or other life stressors find healing through a variety of avenues by giving them a space to process their experiences, improve their self-identity, strengthen their relationships, and find meaningful activities that will contribute to a positive sense of self.

I support the individuals and families I work with by building a trusting relationship that allows them the opportunity to explore barriers that may be contributing to dysfunction in their lives and relationships. I believe the greatest healing happens in relationships and I utilize elements of Family Systems Theory to help families come together to work through challenges. I am passionate about helping people understand what is happening in their bodies and how stress can impact our self-identity and influence how we respond to different life experiences through psychoeducation. I help clients learn how to experience peace and improve their stress response through somatic experiences such as mindfulness practices, grounding techniques, and enjoyable forms of movement. I also utilize elements of Cognitive Behavior Therapy and Dialectical Behavior Therapy to help strengthen an individual's ability to recognize what it is they are feeling and work through distressing emotions in safe and healthy ways.

I work with adolescents, young adults, and families experiencing challenges due to trauma, life transitions, or excessive stress. These challenges may present themselves as anxiety, depression, struggles with managing their emotions, and relational issues. I aim to create a space that is inviting, calm and meets clients where they are at. I recognize that therapy can create a feeling of vulnerability so my focus is to help clients feel comfortable and feel that they can speak freely without judgment. My whole life I have been drawn to people and always wanting to learn about someone’s life story.

I have seen how strong and resilient humans can be and I have witnessed people get through and overcome some of life’s greatest stressors. I have been privileged enough to play a small part in helping some incredible people build resilience and work through challenges that have allowed them to find happiness and a sense of peace. I know that relationships are critical for healing and I am so fortunate to be in a position where others will place their trust in me to help support them through a difficult chapter in their lives.

My approach to setting goals is taking a collaborative effort to identify what you hope to get out of your journey in therapy. Goal setting often occurs as trust builds between us and you become comfortable with what it means to be in therapy. As we work together, we will identify meaningful goals tailored to you and discuss how we will track progress toward your goals. Our first session will look like us discussing what has led to your journey of seeking therapy. I will ask questions to help me better understand your current life experiences and help us to start building a trusting relationship. Not comfortable with talking about certain topics or answering a question I might ask? That’s okay! Trust takes time to build and you will never be pressured to talk about things you’re not ready to discuss. We will talk about what you can expect from me as your therapist and start creating a plan for therapy.