About Kara

Hi, I’m Kara (pronounced “Car-uh”)

Kara Ashley-Gilmore, LCMHC, ATR-BC, SEP

My name is Kara Ashley-Gilmore, and I am a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor, Registered & Board Certified Art Therapist, and Somatic Experiencing® Practitioner. I specialize in working with individuals who have experienced trauma and are struggling with chronic anxiety. My work is all about helping people learn to cope with stress through understanding their emotions, their bodies, their thoughts, their spirituality, and the things that get in the way of feeling ease, pleasure, and connection.

I have been working in the mental health field since 2007, combining my knowledge of psychology and creativity with techniques from CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy), Mindfulness-Based practices, attachment training, and Somatic Experiencing® to provide trauma and attachment-informed psychotherapy.

My counseling approach is informed by Steven Porges’ Polyvagal Theory and Adult Attachment research. Additionally, my experience of being a first-generation Jamaican immigrant who grew up in the melting pot of South Florida also impacts my world-view. I love learning, and make it a priority to deepen my understanding of human nature and the science behind why we do what we do.

When I’m not working, I enjoy taking walks, restorative yoga, slowly transforming my brown-thumb into a green-thumb in my flower garden, art & coffee dates with friends, traveling, taking art classes & workshops, painting & collaging in one of several art journals, researching whatever my latest hyper-fixation topic might be (currently, all things anthropology!), listening to audiobooks, strength training, and rambling about in the woods with my family.

Training & Credentials

Kara Ashley-Gilmore, Art Therapist in North Carolina
  • Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor in North Carolina (#10836)
  • Licensed Professional Counselor in South Carolina (#10440)
  • Registered & Board Certified Art Therapist (ATR-BC #18-516) with the Art Therapy Credentials Board
  • Somatic Experiencing® Practitioner (Completed in 2022)
  • Master’s in Art Therapy and Creativity Development from Pratt Institute, in Brooklyn, NY (Completed in 2007)
  • Professional Certificate in Psychedelic Harm Reduction and Integration (PHRI) through Fluence
  • Completed Certificate for Behavior Therapy Training Institute (BTTI) with the International OCD Foundation: Exposure with Response Prevention (ERP) for treatment of OCD and related disorders
  • Certification in Traumatic Stress Studies from the Justice Resource Institute in Brookline, MA
  • Advanced Certificate in Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders from Postpartum Support International
  • Professional Artist in Hendersonville, NC
  • Board Member of the Arts Council of Henderson County (July 2025-Current)
  • Other Attachment Trainings:
    • Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy (AEDP) for treatment of Attachment Trauma
    • DARe 1 – Healing Early Attachment Wounds & Embracing the Authentic Self
    • DARe 2 – Creating Healthy Adult Relationships
    • DARe 4 – From Wound to Wellness: Victim/Perpetrator Dynamics and Disorganized Attachment
  • Other Psychedelic Therapy Trainings:
    • Essentials of Psychedelic Therapy
    • Introduction to Psychedelic Harm Reduction
    • Psychedelic Therapy & Integration
    • Intoxication and Dissociation in Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy
    • Introduction to Trauma-Informed Psychedelic Assisted Therapy
  • Other Trauma Trainings:
    • Healing Racial Trauma & Inter-generational Trauma
    • Bilateral Stimulation for Emotional Regulation
    • Trauma-Informed Art Therapy
    • Polyvagal Art Therapy
    • DBT (Dialectical Behavioral Therapy)
    • Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
    • ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy)
    • Level 1 Yoga for Trauma and Resiliency

Values Statement