Tara Hartley, LCSW

Tara Hartley is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who brings nine years of combined experience helping people through hard patches. She focuses on everyday problems like anxiety, depression, relationship strain, and addiction. Tara also works with caregiving stress and aging and geriatric issues, helping people navigate life transitions with clear, practical steps.

Her style is warm and interactive. Tara listens with respect and tailors conversation to each person. She avoids stigmatizing labels and aims to meet people where they are.

In sessions she uses straightforward techniques from cognitive behavioral therapy and dialectical behavior therapy. Those tools help people notice unhelpful thoughts, test them, and practice different responses. Tara blends these with client-centered and mindfulness approaches to keep work grounded in each person's values.

She has experience in substance use counseling and has worked with people who have experienced physical or emotional trauma. That background informs how she helps people build safety, routines, and coping skills after difficult events.

Tara focuses on practical, step-by-step change. She helps people set realistic goals, try small experiments between sessions, and adapt plans when needed. The aim is clearer thinking and better daily functioning rather than jargon or long lists of techniques.

She practices in Illinois and conducts work in English. To start, readers can use the site process to match with her and schedule a session based on availability.

Approach-driven online therapy that focuses on goals

Client-Centered Therapy centers the person in the room. The therapist follows the client's lead, listens closely, and helps clarify values and goals to guide change. This approach is useful when someone needs a supportive space to sort feelings and decisions.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, looks at how thoughts, feelings, and behaviors connect. It helps people notice unhelpful thinking patterns, test new ideas, and try different behaviors to reduce anxiety or depression. CBT is practical and often focuses on homework between sessions.

Dialectical Behavior Therapy, or DBT, teaches skills for managing strong emotions and improving relationships. It provides clear tools for coping, distress tolerance, and building better communication habits.

Finding the right approach is part of the work. Tara will help clients choose methods that fit their needs, goals, and preferences. She collaborates on the plan and adjusts it as progress and challenges appear.

If you are considering online therapy, confirm the current session formats before booking since formats are not specified here. Generally, online therapy can make it easier to fit sessions into a busy life, reduce travel time, and allow shorter check-ins when needed. It can also let people use video when they prefer face-to-face interaction or phone when bandwidth is limited. Discuss practical needs and scheduling during the matching process to plan sessions that work with daily life.