I went to Cara a few years ago at her home and did not continue as i got overwhelmed by my mother's moving into dementia and no insurance due to unemployment for thee years. In november of 2019, i called and found out that anim cara therapies had moved to bloomington ave. Although Cara was not accepting new clients she matched me with Fanny Miller who seemed to be a great fit. At this time, I was suffering from veritigo and balance issues (i fell and broke things twice) and degenerative disc disease. I have a very difficult time with stairs and need accessible entrances. The front of Anim Cara is straight up steps in the winter and very slippery. The back has a walk in entrance but I was told that I was not allowed to use it, as to enter the screened porch, I would have to walk through the sunroom which was Cara's office. I was brought over to a side stair the second appt. and it made me climb up and walk over a slippery, uneven, unrailed and icy roof of the front porch. Fanny tried to arrange around Cara's appts and therapy groups but Cara said no. Fanny then transferred our appts to Sabathani Community Center where she works with a non-profit. it was sterile, unwelcoming and i ended up tripping on a rug in the entryway and only a hard cement floor hurting my knee. Also the accessible ramp at Sabathani was not salted and very icy pretty much all three times i went to appts. I give ONE star. I love what they do at AnimCara, but they are elitist ableists. It Saddens me. All of this I had to deal with will my mother was dying and my husband going through a medication reaction that caused kidney failure. It caused me PTSD, feelings of rejection and isolation, feeling victimized and excluded due to health issues. Anim Cara is NOT accessible because they say they don't have to be by law due to their size . Great for them. How about morally and ethically changing your phyisical manifestion to match what you SAY you represent? read more

Where do I even start? I was referred here by a friend who said Anam Cara would be perfect for my trauma recovery. I was set up with Kara Vangen, whose bio on the website reflected that she'd had "years" of practice with PTSD patients and specialized in PTSD recovery. (Though I think she's edited some of that out since I brought to her attention that she's useless when it comes to meeting with PTSD sufferers face-to-face.) Here's what the owner of Anam Cara said when connecting me with Kara: "I think you and Kara will be a good fit for working together. As I shared with you she has 30 years experience working in community mental health and can offer you an experienced and compassionate approach for working with your PTSD symptoms and trauma. " I saw Kara three times. She's quite meek and if you share an intense experience, you'll likely see from her body language that she's uncomfortable and overwhelmed. If you have serious trauma and talk about it in a candid way, you'll likely end up feeling burdensome -- like Kara is doing you a favor by listening, despite her obvious discomfort. She had no idea what to do/say to me. I felt like I had to take her hand and conduct the therapy session on my own because her personality flatlined around me. Yeah, I'm intense.... but I'm intense because I've suffered extreme traumas that Kara was supposed to help me work through. When we met for the third time, Kara told me she felt unequipped to work with me. I have too much trauma, she said, for her level of experience. So basically I poured my heart out and retraumatized myself by going over my history of sexual assault, only to be turned away by someone whose bio proclaimed that she specialized in PTSD. She admitted during that last session that she's only been a practicing therapist for a couple of years, so don't be fooled by her exaggerated credentials. This was an extremely distressing experience for me. I'm familiar with being seen as "too much," but the last place I expect to get that feedback is in a trauma therapist's office. I cried and stewed in self-hatred for a while. I felt hopeless and unworthy or incapable of getting help. Kara didn't give me any referrals, so I finally returned to my old DBT therapist who shook her head when I told her what happened and happily reinstated me as a client. Anam Cara is a new age, woo-woo joke. If you want to sit in a circle and pretend to be a white witch with some pseudo-professionals, perhaps this is the place for you. But if you're looking for a qualified PTSD therapist, run for your life. After turning me away, Kara sent me a bill for our three sessions and then turned me over to collections. She made no effort to directly contact me about the financial aspect or my mental health status after our final session. Instead, she let collections do the talking. If I were Kara and I turned someone away on my own volition, I would swallow that cost and chalk it up to my own therapeutic inadequacies. But nope, Kara is incompetent AND greedy! If you want to feel like an incurable crazy person, contact Kara. If, however, you're looking for a therapist with tough skin and the proper credentials, contact Rachel Rippel at Minnetonka Counseling. She's rad. read more

Anam Cara Therapies - Psychologists Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

It's difficult for me to put into words the tremendous impact Anam Cara Therapies (both Cara Carlson and Kara Vangen) have had on my life. This space and these therapists have actually been life changing for me, and in turn, my husband and children. They have supported me in my trauma healing for years, and they have worked with me beyond it as well, in a desire to live more presently and love more fully. I realize that we all need to find the right fit in who we work with, but I can wholeheartedly and confidently say that the therapists here care deeply for those they get to work with. They are compassionate, truthful, generous, and real. If you're looking for a place to heal and unfold, this is your place and these are your people. read more

I have done deep personal healing work with both Kara Vangen and Cara Carlson for more than 15 years and they are both truly amazing healers. I recommend their practice to my friends and family. I was suffering from severe depression and the therapeutic, spiritual, and cultural practices used at Anam Cara Therapies have turned my life around. Kara Vangen, CHTP, LGSW, MSW, is highly skilled in a variety of therapeutic techniques. Her sensitivity and compassion make her an excellent support for people working through trauma, and her focus on mindfulness is transformative. Kara helps me work through patterns of trauma stemming from childhood abuse. This healing work also flows through to my family, helping us all heal from the collective effects of our trauma. I am impressed with how Kara continues to pursue professional development and expand her skills, offering deeper levels of support to her clients with each year. Dr. Cara Carlson has a PhD in Transpersonal Psychology and she is highly experienced in helping people who are dealing with trauma, addiction, or depression, looking beyond the client's own personal story to uncover the transpersonal familial and cultural influences that led to unhealthy patterns. Cara has supported my healing process in dealing with historical patterns of addiction and abuse within my family of origin. Her focus on cultural ways of healing really filled a gap for me, offering much deeper support than traditional talk therapy ever did. Anam Cara also has other experienced practitioners who can add more layers of support to a client's healing journey. I consider this practice to be a community treasure. read more

I have lived a great part of my adult life with debilitating anxiety and depression which has left me at times hardly able to function. I've worked with a number of therapists with very little improvements. That is, until I began working with my current therapist, Kara Vangen at Anam Cara Therapies. There are no words to describe my deep gratitude for the profound healing that I have gained from working with her. She has continually demonstrated her advanced knowledge of my mental illness and superb skills in helping me to understand and heal from it. Just recently, I had a traumatic experience, yet because of the skills that Kara has taught me, I was able to relatively easily overcome the depression and anxiety that arose. To me, this is miraculous. If you want a knowledgeable, compassionate and talented therapist, I strongly recommend Kara Vangen. Kathleen G read more

I have been a therapy client of Anam Cara for over 7 years. Over the years I have worked with both Dr. Cara Carlson and Kara Vangen in psychotherapy and spiritual wellness counseling. As a healer myself, a community activist and youth worker, I have needed to prioritize time for my own mental, emotional and spiritual well-being. Without going into personal details, I will say that TEN stars wouldn't be enough to recommend this center. Due to my vocational background (LMT, herbalist, program director of a non-profit, and youth worker), I often have folks ask me what therapists I might recommend. I always give options, but Anam Cara is at the top of my list almost every time, especially for folks interested in body-based therapy, those with trauma backgrounds, couples, and folks interested in the intersections of mental health and spirituality. It would be difficult to find other therapists with the level of integrity, professional training and experience, skillfulness and commitment to health in our communities that Dr. Carlson and Kara embody. read more