Tara Ashley
Practical, compassionate therapy for life transitions
LICSW, LCSW Montana
- Experience
- 16 years in practice
- Focus areas
- Stress, Anxiety, Relationship, Trauma and abuse
- Approaches
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
- Languages
- English
About Tara
Tara Ashley is a licensed psychotherapist practicing in Montana who brings 16 years of clinical experience to her work. She weaves Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) together with acceptance-based and client-centered methods to help people manage stress, anxiety, mood changes, and the aftereffects of trauma.
Background and approach
Her background includes addressing relationship challenges, intimacy concerns, grief, parenting stress, and issues that touch life purpose and professional burnout. Her practice emphasizes practical skills alongside deeper emotional exploration, offering support for struggles such as isolation, guilt and shame, and transitions like divorce or separation.
Tara also focuses on women’s health topics including pregnancy and childbirth, and supports clients facing financial worries, career shifts, and compassion fatigue. She frames therapy as a collaborative process, meeting each person where they are and helping them build resilience and clearer priorities.
Clients can expect a respectful, adaptable approach grounded in evidence-informed techniques like DBT strategies for emotional regulation and Gottman-informed work for relational concerns. Tara holds LICSW and LCSW credentials and draws on a breadth of experience to tailor treatment plans that align with individual goals and life circumstances.
Combining evidence-based methods with flexible online care
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) focuses on identifying unhelpful thought patterns and testing new behaviors to reduce symptoms like anxiety or depression; it can be useful for managing stress, improving sleep, and addressing mood changes. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) emphasizes values-driven action and learning to relate differently to difficult internal experiences, which can help with life transitions, chronic worry, and meaning-seeking. Client-Centered Therapy prioritizes a respectful, nonjudgmental therapeutic relationship where the person's own goals guide the work and emotional exploration is supported.
Finding the right approach is part of the therapeutic process, and the therapist collaborates with each client to determine which methods best fit their goals, preferences, and life context. That collaborative process can include blending techniques from different approaches as needs shift over time.
Online therapy is offered through video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging to increase accessibility and scheduling flexibility. These formats allow licensed professionals to provide ongoing skills coaching, talk therapy, and check-ins while making it easier to fit sessions into busy lives and across geographic distances.
Frequently asked questions
What kinds of concerns does Tara often address?
How would you describe her therapeutic style and approach?
What is her professional background and experience?
Where is she licensed and what credentials does she hold?
Does she offer therapy in languages other than English or accept international clients?
What session formats are available with her practice?
How is cost handled for therapy with her?
What are the steps to begin working with her?
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
16+ years
Licensed
Minnesota, Montana
Languages
English