Cara Fuchs PhD smiling and ready to meet clients

Meet Cara

Founder & Clinical Psychologist

Cara Fuchs, PhD, MPH (she/her)

I am a Licensed Clinical Psychologist with over two decades of experience in healthcare and academia. I have devoted much of my career to expanding access to mental health and substance use services (aka, behavioral health) for historically marginalized communities. My focus has been on transforming the delivery of behavioral health treatment through integration into medical and community-based settings. I have provided education and consultation to medical providers seeking to expand the scope of their practice to include treatment of behavioral health issues. I am passionate about supporting a diverse behavioral health workforce through mentorship, teaching, and advocacy. I continue to be involved in education and research initiatives aimed at addressing health disparities.

Approach to individual therapy

As a clinician, I am collaborative, flexible, and warm. I draw from my training in cognitive behavioral, mindfulness and acceptance-based, and liberation psychology frameworks. My clinical approach is culturally responsive, trauma-informed, strengths-based, and anti-oppressive. My hope is that I can help my clients navigate life’s challenges in ways that promote growth, healing, and movement towards meaning and purpose.

Areas of clinical expertise

I have extensive experience in supporting individuals coping with anxiety disorders, depression, PTSD, trauma-related disorders, chronic medical conditions, grief, work-related stress, life transitions, relationship challenges, and experiences of oppression.

    • BA in Psychology, Tufts University

    • MPH in Epidemiology, Boston University School of Public Health

    • PhD in Clinical Psychology, University of Massachusetts Boston

    • APA-accredited internship, University of Washington School of Medicine

    • Postdoctoral Fellowship, Edith Nourse Rogers Memorial VA Medical Center

    • Postdoctoral Fellowship, Warren Alpert School of Medicine, Brown University 

    • Clinical Associate Professor, Boston University Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine, June 2021–Present

    • Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, Boston University School of Medicine, Sept 2017–June 2021

    • Instructor of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Jan 2016–Aug 2017

    • Assistant Professor, Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Sept 2015–Dec 2015

    • Founder, Belonging Health LLC, May 2025–Present

    • Principal Investigator, Connect2Care: Increasing access to behavioral health services through community-based telehealth hubs, Sept 2024–Present

    • Chief of Psychology, Department of Psychiatry, Boston Medical Center, Nov 2020–Apr 2025

    • Director of Integrated Behavioral Health, Department of Psychiatry, Boston Medical Center, Sept 2017–Apr 2025

    • Core Faculty & Co-Director (Sept 2017–Feb 2019), Center for Multicultural Training in Psychology, Boston University Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine, Sept 2017–Aug 2020

    • Staff Psychologist, Department of Psychiatry, Boston Medical Center, Sept 2017–Apr 2025

    • Associate Psychologist, Department of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Oct 2015–Aug 2017

  • Selected Peer-Reviewed Articles:

    Fuchs, C., Lee, J., Roemer, L., & Orsillo, S.M. (2013). Using mindfulness- and acceptance-based treatments with clients from non-dominant cultural and/or marginalized backgrounds: Clinical considerations, meta-analysis findings, and introduction to special series. Cognitive and Behavioral Practice, Special Issue: Clinical Considerations in using Acceptance- and Mindfulness-based Treatments with Diverse Populations, 20 (1): 1-12. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cbpra.2011.12.004

    Fuchs, C., Haradhvala, N., Hubley, S., Nash, J. M., Keller, M. B., Ashley, D., Weisberg, R. B. & Uebelacker, L. A. (2015). Physician actions following a positive PHQ-2: Implications for the implementation of depression screening in family medicine practice. Family Systems & Health, 33(1). https://doi.org/10.1037/fsh0000089

    Fuchs, C., West, L. M., Graham, J. R., Sullivan Kalill, K., Morgan, L. P. K., Hayes-Skelton, S. A., Orsillo, S. M, & Roemer, L. (2016). Reactions to an Acceptance-Based Behavior Therapy for GAD:  Giving voice to the experiences of clients from marginalized backgrounds. Cognitive and Behavioral Practice, 23(4), 473-484. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cbpra.2015.09.004

    Fuchs, C., Haradhvala, N., Evans, D., Nash, J. M., Weisberg, R. B. & Uebelacker, L. A. (2016). Implementation of an acceptance- and mindfulness-based group for depression and anxiety in primary care: Initial outcomes. Family Systems & Health, 34(4), 386-395. https://doi.org/10.1037/fsh0000237

    Valentine, S. E., Fuchs, C., Carlson, M., & Elwy, A. R. (2022). Leveraging multistakeholder engagement to develop an implementation blueprint for a brief trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy in primary care. Psychological trauma: theory, research, practice and policy, 14(6), 914–923. https://doi.org/10.1037/tra0001145 

    Valentine, S. E., Fuchs, C., Godfrey, L., & Elwy, A. R. (2022). Redesign of a brief PTSD treatment in safety net integrated primary care: Supporting implementation in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. General hospital psychiatry, 74, 94–101. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.genhosppsych.2021.12.004 

    Valentine, S.E., Fuchs, C., Sarkisova, N., Olesinski, E.A., Elwy, A.R. (2023). Formative evaluation prior to implementation of a brief treatment for PTSD in primary care. Implementation Science Communications, 4: 48. https://doi.org/10.1186/s43058-023-00426-2

    Book Chapters: 

    Lee J., Fuchs C., Roemer, L., & Orsillo, S.M., (2009). Cultural considerations in acceptance-based behavioral therapies. In L. Roemer and S. M. Orsillo Mindfulness and acceptance-based behavioral therapies in practice. New York: Guilford.

    Roemer, L., Fuchs, C., & Orsillo, S. M. (2014). Incorporating mindfulness and acceptance-based strategies in the behavioral treatment of generalized anxiety disorder. In R. Baer (Ed), Mindfulness-Based Treatment Approaches: Clinician’s Guide to Evidence Base and Applications, 2nd Edition. New York: Academic Press.

    Fuchs, C. & Weisberg, R. (2015). Detection and treatment of anxiety disorders in primary care settings. In K. J. Ressler, D. S. Pine, & B. O, Rothbaum (Eds.), Anxiety Disorders: Translational Perspectives on Diagnosis and Treatment. New York: Oxford University Press.

 
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