Cara Capellini, PhD, CCC-SLP

Dr. Cara Capellini has been working as a speech language pathologist since 2002. Her work has primarily consisted of working in school systems and with children aged preschool to high school. Being in the schools, has provided her the opportunity to work with a variety of students with disabilities to include: developmental delay, emotional disability, autism, intellectual impairment, multiple disabilities, and hearing impairments. These student’s speech needs have included articulation delays, phonological processing disorders, fluency disorders, expressive and receptive language disorders, pragmatic delays, and non-verbal communication.

Dr. Capellini has also served as a special ed designee for the school system for a number of years and understands school based therapy eligibility decisions and requirements. Dr. Capellini’s background includes an undergraduate degree from James Madison University with a B.S. in Communication Sciences Disorders and Psychology. After graduation she attended Rider University while working in early intervention in Bucks County, Pennsylvania and obtained an M. A. in Reading and Language Arts Instruction. Working in early intervention solidified her desire to work with children with speech and language impairments, so she returned to Virginia and graduated from University of Virginia with an M.Ed. in Communication Disorders.

Not wanting to end her love of education and research, she continued at the University of Virginia while working full time with Culpeper County Public Schools and giving birth to three boys. She obtained a Ph.D. in Special Education with an emphasis in Early Intervention for the Child at Risk in 2010. Dr. Capellini loves challenging herself to be a better therapist and is always researching new methods of the best way to teach speech skills. She prides herself on having an excellent rapport with children and parents. She carefully plans each of her therapy sessions to make maximum use of time while also being engaging and fun. Dr. Capellini and her husband have lived in Culpeper since 2003 and take pride in raising their three boys. When she is not at home or at work, you can usually find her on the soccer field cheering on one of her sons!