Tara Hartley, LCSW

Tara Hartley is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who brings nine years of clinical experience to her work. She uses a warm, interactive style to help people navigate stress, anxiety, relationship challenges, and life changes. Tara listens without judgment and works alongside clients to find practical ways forward.

She blends client-centered care with cognitive behavioral and dialectical behavior approaches. That means conversations focus on current thoughts and everyday habits, while also learning skills to manage strong emotions and reduce unhelpful patterns. Mindfulness and existential ideas are woven in to help people find meaning and calm in difficult times.

Tara has experience supporting people facing depression, trauma and abuse, addiction, grief, parenting strains, and intimacy or communication problems. She has also worked with issues such as caregiver stress, blended family dynamics, and challenges that come with aging. Her background includes time as a substance abuse counselor alongside broader clinical practice.

In sessions she emphasizes respect, sensitivity, and compassion. Treatment plans are shaped to each person’s goals and situation rather than one-size-fits-all solutions. Tara aims to help people build small, manageable changes that add up to better day-to-day functioning.

She works from Illinois and conducts therapy in English. People who are ready to begin are invited to take a first step toward clearer thinking and steadier habits.

How therapeutic approaches shape online work

Tara commonly uses client-centered therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), and dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) in her practice. Client-centered work focuses on listening, understanding each person's experience, and shaping sessions around their goals. CBT looks at thoughts and everyday habits and helps people test and change patterns that keep them stuck. DBT offers concrete skills for managing intense emotions, improving relationships, and tolerating distress.

Choosing the right approach is part of the process and happens together. The therapist will talk about your priorities, try methods that match your needs, and adjust the plan as you go. That collaborative aiming helps people find what actually helps in day-to-day life rather than sticking to a single method.

The practical benefits of online therapy include fitting sessions into a busy week and keeping momentum between appointments. Because the profile doesn’t list specific session formats, confirm current options before booking so you know how sessions will be delivered. Online work can make it easier to maintain regular check-ins, practice skills learned in sessions, and bring therapy into the flow of everyday responsibilities without promising any one delivery method.