I’m so glad you’re here.

If you’re navigating motherhood, healing from trauma, or moving through a difficult season of change: you’re in the right place.

Maybe this sounds familiar…

You’ve tried to push through.

You’ve read the books, listened to podcasts, talked yourself through hard moments, or told yourself you “should” be handling things better.

You may have wondered:

  • Why does this feel so hard?

  • Why can’t I just enjoy this season?

  • Why do I feel so unlike myself?

Reaching out for therapy often happens at a tipping point: coping alone no longer feels sustainable and you’re ready for something to feel different.

Therapy with me is collaborative, relational, and grounded in felt safety.

You don’t need to hold it all by yourself.
You don’t have to get it right.
You don’t need to be in crisis for therapy to help.

My role isn’t to analyze or fix you. We often don’t focus on a diagnosis unless that feels helpful for you. I see therapy as a partnership where we slow things down together, gently make sense of what your nervous system has been carrying, and create space for healing to unfold.

Sessions often include:

  • learning how trauma and motherhood impact the nervous system

  • understanding emotional patterns without judgment

  • reconnecting with your body’s signals

  • building tools for regulation, connection, self-compassion, and self-trust

Many clients tell me therapy helps them feel more seen, heard, and supported- and helps them make sense of what once felt confusing or overwhelming. Not because we have to figure everything out, but because we can learn to trust our feelings and ourselves again.

What therapy feels like here

The heart behind Wise Roots Therapy: 

Kara Guindin, LCSW, PMH-C

Hi!

I’m Kara! I’m a perinatal therapist, trauma specialist, and mom of two.

Becoming a parent reshapes us in ways that are profound, beautiful, and sometimes incredibly vulnerable. My own experience of motherhood deepened my understanding of how identity, relationships, and past experiences can resurface during this transition.

I earned my Master’s degree in Social Work from Washington University in St. Louis in 2013, and have spent over a decade working in community health and mental health settings. Throughout this work, one truth has remained clear: when people feel safe, seen, and truly known, they access a deep well of resilience and healing. My role is to help create that space- with gentleness, curiosity, and respect for your lived experience.

I created Wise Roots Therapy to be the kind of space I believe mothers and women deserve: one that feels warm, respectful, and deeply attuned to emotional healing, nervous system healing, and healing in community.

My style is holistic and collaborative- meaning we’ll move at your pace, integrating body-based strategies with traditional talk therapy, nervous system education, and practical support.

Over time, the women I work with begin to notice meaningful shifts:

  • feeling more confident in themselves

  • staying present with big emotions instead of fearing them

  • feeling more connected to their people: partners, children, family, and friends

  • carrying less guilt or shame about the past

  • rediscovering playfulness, creativity, and curiosity

  • realizing they have options again

Healing doesn’t mean becoming someone totally new. It means feeling more like yourself now.

My Roots

I was born and raised in Nashville, Tennessee. I’m a mom of two, Eloise and Julian. They light up my world! My husband, Chris, and I love to dream up garden ideas and woodworking projects. You may also find me planning a vacation, getting messy at a pottery studio, exploring new restaurants, and watching the latest season of something trashy.

Therapeutic Approaches:

My approach blends evidence-based therapy with body-based resources and relational attunement.

I believe trauma symptoms are adaptive responses and not personal failures. Regulation isn’t about forcing calm; it’s about building safety, agency, and connection within yourself and your relationships.

Our work may include talking, noticing body sensations, processing memories, practicing new ways of responding, or simply learning how to sit with experiences that once felt overwhelming.

Additional Training

  • Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW)

  • Perinatal mental health certified therapist

  • EMDR certified therapist

  • EMDRIA approved EMDR consultant in training

  • Somatic and Attachment Focused Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (SAFE EMDR)

  • EMDR for ongoing traumatic stress and complex PTSD (EMDR PRECI)

  • EMDR for recent events and crisis stabilization (EMDR ASSYST)

  • 3 years advanced training with Somatic Experiencing International

  • Internal Family Systems (IFS) informed therapy (often referred to as “parts work”)

  • The Empowerment Model of Supervision

The Beliefs at the Root

of Wise Roots

  • Many people arrive in therapy believing something is wrong with them. I see something different: a person whose system has been doing its best to survive, cope, and care deeply in difficult circumstances. Therapy begins from the assumption that you already carry wisdom and capacity for healing.

  • Anxiety, shutdown, people-pleasing, perfectionism, intrusive thoughts, emotional overwhelm, or numbness often developed as protective responses. Your nervous system learned strategies to keep you safe. Together, we work to understand these responses with compassion rather than trying to eliminate them through force or shame.

  • Becoming a mother reshapes identity, relationships, priorities, and the nervous system itself. It can stir old wounds, unexpected emotions, and questions about who you are now. Struggle during this season does not mean failure — it often means you are moving through deep transformation.

  • Humans heal in connection. Feeling seen, understood, and emotionally safe allows the nervous system to settle and new experiences to take root. The therapeutic relationship becomes a place where you can show up honestly, explore gently, and experience support without judgment.

  • You are the expert on your own life. My role is not to direct or fix you, but to walk alongside you with curiosity, clinical skill, and care. We move at a pace that honors your readiness, working together to build insight, regulation, and meaningful change.

  • Healing is not about becoming endlessly productive, perfectly regulated, or endlessly patient. It includes laughter, messy moments, compassion for your limits, and learning to relate to yourself with kindness. Sustainable growth allows room for your full humanity.

  • Wise Roots Therapy is an affirming and inclusive space for LGBTQ+ individuals, couples, and families. All identities, orientations, and family structures are welcomed and respected. You should never have to edit or explain core parts of who you are in order to feel safe in therapy.

  • Therapy at Wise Roots is guided by your values, not mine. For some people, faith or spirituality is an important source of meaning and support. Others prefer a completely secular approach. Both are welcome. Our work together can thoughtfully include what matters most to you.

Get Started

Wise Roots Therapy

2603 Elm Hill Pike #C
Nashville, TN 37214

(615) 200-0625

kara@wiserootstherapy.com

Hours:
Monday 9 am - 5 pm
Wednesday 9 am – 5 pm
Friday 10 am – 4 pm