Works with
- Anger
- Stress, Anxiety
- Relationship issues
- Trauma and abuse
- Depression
- Coping with life changes
How Tara works
Practical facts
- Credentials
- LCSW
- Licensed in
- Illinois
- Years in practice
- 9
- Languages
- English
- Session format
- Online, through our partner platform
About Tara
Tara Hartley is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who uses a blend of practical, talk-based methods to help people manage strong emotions and life stress. She focuses on real problems like anxiety, depression, anger, relationship strain, and substance use. Tara aims to make sessions direct and respectful so people can start making small changes quickly.
She draws on client-centered care where the person’s goals lead the work. Tara also uses cognitive behavioral techniques to identify thinking patterns that feed distress.
Background and approach
Dialectical behavior ideas help when emotions feel overwhelming and people need clear coping skills. With nine years of experience that include work in substance use support, she has helped people dealing with trauma, grief, parenting challenges, and complicated family dynamics. Her background includes supporting those facing caregiver stress, blended family issues, and problems tied to aging and illness.
In sessions she keeps the tone warm and interactive. Conversations are practical and goal-focused, with homework or small experiments when they help. People leave with concrete tools to manage mood shifts, reduce conflict, and handle setbacks.
Tara works with adults on concerns such as intimacy-related struggles, commitment worries, and low self-esteem. She also supports people facing addiction, bipolar mood challenges, and the emotional fallout from separation or domestic violence. Her work is guided by respect, sensitivity, and a nonjudgmental approach.
She offers video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging for ongoing support. To begin, clients choose the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule according to her availability.
What Tara works with
Everything Tara lists, in the therapist's own terms. Anger is the reason this directory exists; the rest tells you what usually sits alongside it in Tara's practice.
- Stress, Anxiety
- Relationship issues
- Trauma and abuse
- Depression
- Coping with life changes
- Addictions
- LGBT
- Family conflicts
- Grief
- Intimacy-related issues
- Parenting issues
- Anger management
- Self esteem
- Bipolar disorder
- Coaching
- Compassion fatigue
- Aging and geriatric issues
- Attachment issues
- Blended family issues
- Cancer
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Commitment issues
- Communication problems
- Coping with natural or human-caused disaster
- Dissociation
- Divorce and separation
- Domestic violence
- Drug and alcohol addiction
- Emptiness
- Family problems
- Fatherhood issues
- Forgiveness
- Guilt and shame
- Hospice and end-of-life counseling
- Isolation / loneliness
- Jealousy
- Life purpose
- Mood disorders
- Obsessions, compulsions, and OCD
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Paranoia
- Personality disorders
- Postpartum depression
- Post-traumatic stress
- Pregnancy and childbirth
- Self-love
- Sexual assault and abuse
- Sexual dysfunction
- Sexuality
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Women's issues
- Young adult issues
Approaches Tara lists
- Client-Centered Therapy
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
- Existential Therapy
- Mindfulness Therapy
- Motivational Interviewing
- Narrative Therapy
- Psychodynamic Therapy
- Solution-Focused Therapy
- Trauma-Focused Therapy
Listing an approach is not evidence of training in it. This directory copies what each therapist names and does not check training records.
How her approaches fit into online therapy
Client-Centered Therapy focuses on the person’s goals and priorities. The therapist follows the client’s lead, listens closely, and helps shape conversations around what matters most. This approach is useful when someone wants a respectful space to sort out feelings and values.Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, looks at thoughts and actions that keep problems going. It breaks big issues into smaller steps and uses simple exercises to change thinking patterns and behavior. CBT is often helpful for anxiety, depression, and anger-related reactions.
Finding the right mix of approaches is part of the work. Tara will collaborate with each person to decide which methods fit their needs, goals, and preferences. That process often begins in early sessions and can change as progress is made.
Online sessions let people get consistent help without extra travel. Video calls are useful for a fuller face-to-face feel, phone sessions work well when bandwidth is low, live chat can support quick check-ins, and text messaging helps with brief coaching or reminders. These options make it easier to fit therapy into a busy life and to practice skills between meetings.
Questions people ask about Tara
What kinds of problems does she help with?
Tara works with many concerns including stress, anxiety, depression, anger, relationship strain, addiction, grief, and parenting challenges.
What is her therapy style like?
Her style is warm and interactive. She focuses on practical conversations and teaches skills people can use between sessions.
How much clinical experience does she have?
She has nine years of combined experience as a therapist and substance abuse counselor.
Where is she licensed and based?
She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) licensed in Illinois.
Which languages are available for sessions?
Sessions are offered in English.
Can people from other countries work with her?
She does not accept international clients at this time.
What session formats does she offer?
Sessions can be scheduled as video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging.
How do I start working with her?
Begin by selecting the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and then schedule sessions based on her availability.