About Tara
Tara Hartley is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in Illinois who focuses on practical, person-focused therapy. She draws on nine years of experience in behavioral health to help people manage stress, anxiety, depression, addiction, and relationship strain. Tara speaks English and is available for online formats including video, phone, live chat, and text messaging.
In sessions she uses client-centered methods to make space for each person’s story. She also uses cognitive behavioral techniques to help people spot unhelpful patterns and try different behaviors.
Background and approach
Dialectical strategies and mindfulness tools appear in her work when people need skills for emotion regulation and staying present. Tara has a background that includes several years supporting people with substance use concerns and many more years helping those recovering from trauma and abuse. She has experience with grief, parenting stress, intimacy issues, bipolar mood concerns, and compassion fatigue among other challenges.
She helps people facing big life changes, caregiver stress, cancer-related concerns, and blended family issues. Her style is warm and interactive. She strives to treat people with respect and sensitivity while avoiding stigmatizing labels.
Tara works with each person to shape practical goals and a plan that fits their needs. To begin, people complete a short matching questionnaire and then schedule sessions that suit their availability. Fees vary by location and a subscription model is used, which can be canceled at any time.
How Tara’s Approaches Translate to Online Therapy
Tara commonly uses client-centered therapy and cognitive behavioral techniques in online work. Client-centered therapy focuses on listening and building trust so people can explore what matters to them. Cognitive behavioral work looks at thoughts and behaviors and teaches practical exercises to reduce anxiety, depression, or addictive urges.She also draws on dialectical behavior therapy elements when emotional regulation and distress tolerance are needed. Those skills can help people manage strong emotions, navigate relationship conflicts, and reduce impulsive behaviors. Tara treats finding the right approach as a team effort and will collaborate with each person to choose methods that match their goals and preferences.
Online formats include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging. Video gives face-to-face interaction for skill practice and deeper conversation. Phone sessions can be easier when bandwidth is low or a shorter check-in is needed. Live chat and text messaging work well for ongoing coaching, brief updates, or when typed reflection feels more comfortable. These options make it easier to fit therapy into busy lives and to keep progress moving between sessions.
Frequently asked questions
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Specialties and expertise
Top specialties
- Stress, Anxiety
- Relationship issues
- Trauma and abuse
Also works with
- Addictions
- Aging and geriatric issues
- Anger management
- Attachment issues
- Bipolar disorder
- Blended family issues
- Cancer
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Coaching
- Commitment issues
- Communication problems
- Compassion fatigue
- Coping with life changes
- Coping with natural or human-caused disaster
- Depression
- Dissociation
- Divorce and separation
- Domestic violence
- Drug and alcohol addiction
- Emptiness
- Family conflicts
- Family problems
- Fatherhood issues
- Forgiveness
- Grief
- Guilt and shame
- Hospice and end-of-life counseling
- Intimacy-related issues
- Isolation / loneliness
- Jealousy
- LGBT
- Life purpose
- Mood disorders
- Obsessions, compulsions, and OCD
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Paranoia
- Parenting issues
- Personality disorders
- Post-traumatic stress
- Postpartum depression
- Pregnancy and childbirth
- Self esteem
- Self-love
- Sexual assault and abuse
- Sexual dysfunction
- Sexuality
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Women's issues
- Young adult issues
Therapeutic approaches
- Experience
- 9 years
- Licensed
- Illinois
- Languages
- English