About Tara
Tara Merida is a licensed professional counselor (LPC) based in Texas with 17 years of experience in mental health. She draws on years in school counseling and other settings to help people facing stress, anxiety, grief, anger, and life transitions. Her manner is warm and encouraging and she focuses on practical steps people can use right away.
She has a strong background working with trauma, crisis response, and grief. Tara also supports people dealing with ADHD, autism and Asperger syndrome, dyslexia, and challenges with self-regulation.
How Tara works
Her experience includes helping people manage sleeping problems, bipolar disorder, depression, and compassion fatigue. Tara uses approaches like client-centered work, cognitive behavioral techniques, mindfulness, motivational interviewing, and narrative methods. Sessions are collaborative and aimed at clear goals.
She favors short, practical strategies alongside deeper reflection so clients leave with tools they can use between sessions. Her style is supportive and goal-focused. She helps people name emotions, practice calm strategies, and plan concrete steps for problems at work, school, or home.
Tara emphasizes that feelings are normal and can be managed rather than judged. People who choose Tara can expect straightforward talk, structured steps, and an emphasis on building skills. She helps clients navigate parenting stress, career shifts, relationship concerns, and the fallout from separation or divorce.
Her background in schools informs a steady, patient approach to learning new coping skills.
Tara lists 7 ways of working on the entry:
What Tara works with
The areas below are the ones Tara selected when setting up a profile. The first few are listed as the main focus; the rest are also named.
- Stress, Anxiety
- Grief
- Anger management
Also listed
- ADHD
- Autism and Asperger Syndrome
- Bipolar disorder
- Career difficulties
- Coaching
- Compassion fatigue
- Coping with life changes
- Depression
- Divorce and separation
- Family conflicts
- Family problems
- Impulsivity
- Intellectual disability
- LGBT
- Parenting issues
- Post-traumatic stress
- Relationship issues
- Self esteem
- Sleeping disorders
- Trauma and abuse
Training and background
| Register | LPC |
|---|---|
| Years in practice | 17 |
| Languages | English |
| Session format | Online: video, phone, live chat or messaging |
| Country | Texas |
Memberships and registers are shown as supplied; they are not licences, and this directory does not verify them.
Online support options
How Tara's approaches translate to online therapy
Client-centered therapy focuses on listening and meeting each person where they are. It involves open, nonjudgmental conversation and helps people name feelings and set personal goals. This approach is useful for stress, grief, and when someone needs a caring space to process.Cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT, looks at the links between thoughts, feelings, and behavior. Sessions include concrete activities like noticing thought patterns and testing new responses. CBT often helps with anxiety, depression, sleep problems, and managing impulsivity.
Mindfulness therapy teaches simple attention practices to reduce reactivity. It uses short exercises to help people pause, notice bodily signals, and calm down during strong emotions. This can support self-regulation, anger management, and coping with stress.
Finding the right mix of approaches is part of the work. Tara collaborates with each person to decide which methods fit their goals and preferences. Together they adjust techniques over time so the plan better matches what is helping.
Online sessions offer flexible ways to meet. Video calls provide face-to-face interaction for in-depth work. Phone sessions can be easier when bandwidth or camera use is limited. Live chat and text messaging allow quick check-ins, brief coaching, or ongoing support between longer sessions. These options make it easier to fit therapy into a busy life without sacrificing continuity of care.
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Common questions
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A practical next step
Write down two things you would want to be different in six months. That is the most useful thing to bring to a first session, whoever it is with. If you would rather start now than keep reading, online sessions are the quickest route.
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