Tara Hartley, LCSW

Tara Hartley is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with nine years of experience in mental health care. She uses a straightforward, collaborative style to help people facing stress, anxiety, depression, relationship strain, addiction concerns, and grief. Tara works from Illinois and holds an IL LCSW credential.

Tara blends Cognitive Behavioral Therapy with client-centered and dialectical approaches to focus on practical change. She helps people notice unhelpful thoughts, try different behaviors, and build skills for emotion regulation. Sessions are conversational and aimed at small doable steps rather than overwhelming homework.

She has a background that includes work with people affected by trauma and substance use, and she draws on that experience when helping others cope with difficult past events. Tara also supports people dealing with major life changes, caregiving stress, aging concerns, and chronic illness-related problems.

In sessions she emphasizes respect, sensitivity, and avoiding stigmatizing labels. That means the conversation centers on what each person brings and what they want to change, not on fitting someone into a single category. Treatment plans are adjusted to match individual goals.

People can expect a warm, interactive approach that balances skill building and emotional support. Tara encourages realistic goals and steady progress. She aims to help people feel more capable of handling daily challenges and relationships.

How her approaches translate to online therapy

Tara often uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to help people identify and change unhelpful thoughts and actions. CBT sessions focus on practical tools such as thought records, behavioral experiments, and step-by-step goal setting to reduce anxiety, manage depression, or address addiction patterns.

She also uses client-centered techniques that prioritize listening, empathy, and the client's own pace. This approach helps people feel heard and shapes treatment around their goals rather than imposing a rigid plan. Dialectical Behavior Therapy elements are used to teach emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and interpersonal effectiveness skills when strong emotions or relationship conflict are a concern.

Finding the right mix of approaches is part of the work. The therapist collaborates with each person to decide which methods fit their needs, goals, and preferences. That collaborative process can be adjusted over time as progress is made or new issues arise.

Online formats include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging, offering flexibility for different days and needs. Video lets people work face to face when schedules allow. Phone sessions can be useful when bandwidth is limited or for shorter check-ins. Live chat and messaging support ongoing reflection and brief coaching between longer sessions.