- Years in practice
- 9
- Credentials
- LCSW
- Licensed in
- Illinois
- Languages
- English
- Focus
- Stress, Anxiety
- Focus
- Relationship issues
- Focus
- Trauma and abuse
About Tara
Tara Hartley is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with nine years of clinical experience in Illinois. She works with adults coping with stress, anxiety, depression, addiction, relationship struggles, and parenting concerns. Tara speaks plainly and offers a direct, supportive style to help people take the next step.
Her approach centers on the person in front of her. She uses client-centered methods to build trust and understand what matters most. Cognitive behavioral techniques help people notice and change unhelpful thinking and behavior patterns.
Background and approach
Dialectical behavior strategies are used when emotions feel intense or overwhelming. Tara also draws on existential ideas to help people find meaning during big life changes. Mindfulness practices are woven into sessions to increase focus and calm.
She adapts tools to each person's goals rather than using a one-size-fits-all plan. Her background includes time as a substance abuse counselor and work with people who have experienced trauma and abuse. That experience informs her practical approach to recovery and coping.
She aims to reduce stigma and treat clients with respect and compassion. Sessions are conversational and collaborative. Tara helps people set realistic goals, try specific skills between meetings, and adjust plans as progress unfolds.
Her style is warm, interactive, and goal-focused to support lasting change.
What Tara works with
Everything Tara lists, in the therapist's own terms. Parenting is the reason this directory exists; the rest shows what else Tara helps people with.
- 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.
Approaches that translate to online therapy
Client-centered work focuses on understanding each person's priorities and building a supportive relationship. In online sessions this means the therapist listens closely and shapes conversations around what the client needs most to feel understood and make progress.Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, teaches straightforward tools to notice unhelpful thoughts and try new actions. It works well for anxiety, depression, parenting stress, and many everyday challenges by giving clear steps to practice between meetings. Dialectical Behavior Therapy, or DBT, adds skills for handling intense emotions and improving interpersonal effectiveness, which helps when strong feelings make communication or coping harder.
Finding the right approach is a collaborative process. The therapist will discuss goals, try methods that fit those goals, and adjust plans together over time so therapy stays useful and practical.
Online therapy offers flexible ways to connect: video calls for face-to-face conversation, phone sessions when bandwidth or hands-free time is needed, and live chat or text messaging for quick check-ins or ongoing support. These options make it easier to fit sessions into busy days, maintain momentum between meetings, and use tools in the real world where challenges happen.
Questions people ask about Tara
What kinds of concerns does Tara address?
She works with adults facing stress, anxiety, depression, relationship and intimacy issues, addictions, grief, parenting concerns, and related problems.
What is her therapeutic style like?
Her style is warm and interactive, using respectful, nonstigmatizing language while teaching practical skills and strategies.
What is her professional background?
She has nine years of clinical experience, including two years as a substance abuse counselor and work with people who have experienced trauma and abuse.
What credentials and region are listed?
She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, LCSW, licensed in Illinois.
Which languages are supported for sessions?
Sessions are offered in English.
What session formats does she offer?
She works via video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging.
How are fees and billing handled?
Cost varies with location and therapist scheduling; sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
How do I begin working with her?
Click the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule according to therapist availability.
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