Dr. Kara L. Bunting
I am a clinical psychologist practicing psychoanalysis and integrative psychotherapy. I am also certified as a Spirit Rock meditation instructor. I have worked in mental health for more than 20 years, 15 of those in private practice, and have led meditation retreats and workshops for personal development, business, and clinical audiences.
My doctorate focused on empirically validated mindfulness based psychotherapies, including Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR). I was involved in ACT research as a treating clinician, author and researcher during my doctoral training, and I also participated in treatment development and adherence evaluation.
Clinical science is one layer of my practice, but clinical experience teaches the depth and wonder of the individual. I have worked in community clinics, hospitals and college counseling as well as private practice. In these settings I trained in contemporary psychoanalytic work, including work with individual dynamics and family histories in the healing process. My interest in attachment, the unconscious, and psychoanalysis led me to pursue advanced training in contemporary psychoanalytic work, seeing patients 3 to 5 times weekly on the couch.
Ultimately, I consider my work humanistic and interpersonal. It is my hope that my clients experience our time as a warm and enjoyable conversation, as I myself do.