Carrie Lara was born and raised in northern California wine country. She met her husband, Roger, in college at CSU Monterey Bay and they were married after graduation. Carrie went on to graduate school to earn her doctorate in clinical psychology from the California School of Professional Psychology/Alliant International University in San Francisco, with specific training in child and human development, systems and abnormal psychology. She has worked in multiple settings in mental health and has extensive experience in clinical application/therapeutic intervention, leadership, program development and management, organizational systems, project improvement and supervision. Carrie enjoys helping clients find balance in their lives and reach their full potential.
Carrie and Roger had a daughter in 2011 and a son in 2017. She loves watching them grow, experience the world and have adventures. It is the highlight of every day. Roger is from Nicaragua, and being a bicultural family, days are spent in a blend of language and culture, and they love to learn about and explore other cultures. This has led to a focus in Carrie’s writing, supporting families in themes of cultural identity, multiculturalism and having conversations about diversity. Throughout life Carrie has enjoyed reading and writing, and finds a catharsis in the creative expression of the written word. Carrie has published four books through Magination Press, three of which Marvelous, Maravilloso: Me and My Beautiful Family, The Heart of Mi Familia, and A Year of Celebraciones were inspired directly by her children’s bicultural experiences and living in a diverse world. The fourth, Out of the Fires: A Journal of Resilience and Recovery After Disaster, was written to help young victims of a natural disaster as they follow a boy who is healing after a devastating fire in his neighborhood. Carrie continues to write and work on more projects for the near future. In addition, she has done presentations and lectures based on her writing and publications and is available for booking.