Tara Hartley, LCSW

Licensed in Illinois · 9 years in practice

Tara Hartley is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with nine years of combined experience in therapy and substance use work.

License and registration

LCSW, Illinois: 149.021785 · expires November 2027
NPI: 1639718612 · national provider identifier
Years in practice: 9
Languages: English

Details are as listed on the therapist's public professional profile. You can check any license with the state board and any NPI with the national registry.

About Tara

Tara Hartley is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with nine years of combined experience in therapy and substance use work. She focuses on practical strategies and steady support for people facing stress, anxiety, depression, relationship strains, and addiction concerns. Tara keeps sessions warm and interactive to help people speak openly and make concrete changes.

She uses a client-centered approach to build trust and understand each person's goals. Cognitive behavioral techniques are woven into sessions to identify unhelpful thoughts and test new behaviors.

Background and approach

Dialectical skills add tools for emotion regulation when feelings feel overwhelming. Tara has worked with many people who have experienced trauma and abuse and has experience supporting those coping with grief, parenting strains, and life transitions. She also helps people dealing with intimacy issues, commitment doubts, and the emotional fallout of separation and divorce.

Her style is direct but compassionate. Conversations focus on what feels most urgent and practical steps that can be tried between sessions. Tara avoids stigmatizing labels and adapts the plan as progress and needs shift.

People who choose her often want a therapist who blends structured techniques with a human, listening-first approach. Tara is licensed in Illinois as an LCSW and conducts sessions in English. She aims to make therapy feel like a steady place to try things out and build coping skills.

Focus areas and approaches

Everything Tara lists on their public professional profile, in their own terms.

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 names

Naming an approach is not evidence of training in it. This directory copies what each therapist lists and does not check training records.

Online support

Therapeutic approaches and online care

Client-centered therapy focuses on listening and understanding each person's experience. The therapist follows the client's lead, asking questions and reflecting so people feel heard and can identify their own goals. Cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT, looks at the link between thoughts, feelings, and actions and uses simple exercises to test new ways of thinking and behaving. DBT, or dialectical behavior therapy, offers concrete skills for managing intense emotions, handling conflict, and tolerating distress.

Choosing the right approach is a collaborative process. The therapist will talk with the client about their goals, try techniques that fit those goals, and adjust the plan based on what helps most. This means techniques can be mixed and changed as progress or needs shift.

Online sessions are offered by video calls, phone, live chat, or text-based messaging to make therapy more flexible. Video works well for full sessions and skill practice. Phone sessions can fit a break at work or be used when bandwidth is limited. Live chat or text messaging can support quick check-ins, short coaching-style exchanges, or ongoing encouragement between longer sessions. These formats help people access consistent care without needing to travel.

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Questions people ask

What concerns does Tara commonly address?

She works with stress, anxiety, depression, relationship and intimacy issues, addiction, grief, parenting challenges, and trauma and abuse.

What is her general therapy style?

Her style is warm and interactive, combining client-centered listening with structured techniques like cognitive behavioral therapy and dialectical skills.

How much clinical experience does she have?

She has nine years of experience, which includes time as a therapist and work as a substance abuse counselor.

What credentials and location are listed?

She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in Illinois, listed as LCSW, and practices from Illinois.

Which languages or international clients are supported?

Sessions are offered in English. International clients are not currently accepted.

What session formats are available?

Sessions can be conducted via video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging.

How is cost handled for sessions?

Cost varies with location and therapist availability; sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.

How does someone begin working with her?

Start by selecting the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule according to therapist availability.

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