01 · Who Tanadja works with

Tanadja works with stress, Anxiety, LGBT and relationship issues

Tanadja lists 6 specialisms and 21 further focus areas. Specialisms are the subjects Tanadja chose to list first, which is the closest a listing gets to “this is my actual practice”.

02 · In Tanadja's own words

What Tanadja says about the work

Reproduced in full and unedited - not summarised, not tightened, not rewritten in a house voice.

I’m TJ Barber, a Board-Certified Art Therapist and Licensed Professional Counselor based in St. Louis, Missouri.

I specialize in supporting LGBTQIA+ individuals, racial and ethnic minority clients, caregivers, helping professionals, and adults navigating complex life transitions, relationship concerns, family tension, identity exploration, and emotional burnout. Many of the people I work with are managing the pressure of others’ expectations while also navigating cultural identity, discrimination, marginalization, or the emotional weight of being misunderstood within their families, workplaces, or communities.

Therapy with me offers a supportive and creative space to understand your emotions, challenge your inner critic, strengthen boundaries, and explore patterns that may no longer serve you. My approach to minority mental health recognizes that distress does not occur in isolation. Culture, identity, relationships, community, and systemic barriers can all shape emotional well-being and access to support.

With more than seven years of clinical experience, I integrate art therapy with existential, cognitive behavioral, relational-cultural, and DBT-informed mindfulness approaches. Artmaking is always optional and can support reflection, emotional expression, and self-discovery when words feel limited.

Together, we can work toward greater self-understanding, healthier relationships, emotional well-being, and a life that feels more authentic and sustainable.

Tanadja Barber, on the BetterHelp listing · read 7 Nov 2026

03 · How Tanadja works

The 5 approaches Tanadja lists, in plain English

These are the clinical methods Tanadja lists. The descriptions are Maker Therapy's, not Tanadja's - a general explanation of what each method is, so the list means something before you have spoken to anybody. They are not a claim about how Tanadja runs a session.

Cognitive Behavioural TherapyCBT

Structured, present-focused work on the loop between what you think, how you feel and what you then do. Usually means noticing a thought pattern in the room, testing it against evidence, and practising something different between sessions. Among the most heavily researched talking therapies for depression and anxiety.

Emotionally Focused TherapyEFT

Built for couples and rooted in attachment: the recurring argument is treated as a cycle two people are stuck in rather than as one person's fault. Sessions work to interrupt the cycle and get to what each person is actually asking for underneath it.

Narrative Therapy

Treats the story you tell about your life as something that can be examined and retold rather than as the plain facts. Separates the person from the problem - “the anxiety” rather than “your anxiety” - to make room for the parts the current story leaves out.

Solution-Focused Brief TherapySFBT

Starts from where you want to end up rather than from how you got here. Sessions look for the times the problem is already smaller and work out what is different about those, so the number of sessions tends to be short and the work concrete.

Trauma-Focused TherapyTF-CBT · trauma-informed

CBT adapted for people whose difficulty is rooted in a frightening or overwhelming event. Pacing is the point: safety and stabilisation come first, the memory itself is approached gradually and only when you are ready, and the aim is that recalling it stops hijacking the present.

Also listed

• Existential Therapy

04 · What happens next

From this page to a first session

Tanadja practises through BetterHelp, so the route in is BetterHelp's. This is that sequence, written by Maker Therapy from the platform's published process - not a description of Tanadja's own practice, and not a promise about how quickly anything happens.

1. A questionnaire, not a booking form

   BetterHelp opens with a set of questions about what you are dealing with, what you want from therapy, and any preferences on the therapist. You are not booking Tanadja at this point.

2. Naming Tanadja specifically

   BetterHelp matches algorithmically by default, so asking for Tanadja is a step you have to take. There is a field for requesting a specific therapist during sign-up, and you can switch afterwards from your account. Starting from a link on this page does not by itself assign you to Tanadja.

3. If the caseload is full

   You will be offered somebody else rather than put on a waitlist. Worth knowing, because it is easy to assume a match is the person you asked for.

4. The first conversation

   A first session is typically history and orientation: what brought you, what has been tried, what you want to be different. It is also where the questions in the next section belong.

5. If the fit is wrong

   Changing therapist on BetterHelp does not need a reason. A first session that does not click is common and is not a verdict on therapy. That option existing is the main practical difference between a platform and a private practice.

05 · Before you commit

3 questions worth asking Tanadja

Built from what Tanadja actually lists, so they are answerable and specific rather than generic. Maker Therapy's, not Tanadja's - Tanadja has not seen them and is under no obligation to answer any of them.

• “You list both Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and Narrative Therapy. Which do you lean on with someone like me?”

  Those two point in different directions - one structured and led by the therapist, the other led by you. The answer tells you what the sessions will actually feel like.

• “How do you decide when someone is ready to work on a traumatic memory itself?”

  Pacing is the biggest safety question in trauma work. A clear, unhurried answer here matters more than any credential.

• “How do you handle the gap between sessions if something comes up?”

  On BetterHelp this varies a great deal by therapist. Better to know the rhythm now than to discover it on a bad week.

06 · Practical details

Credentials and licensing

Credential

LPC

Licensed in

Missouri

Licence

MO LPC 2022020370

Licence number

2022020370

Licence expires

30 Jun 2027

NPI

1962033696

Years in practice

8

Gender

Female

Languages

English

International clients

Not accepted

Listed since

22 Jul 2026

07 · Provenance

Where every line on this page came from

Tanadja's name, credential, state, subjects, approaches and biography are read from BetterHelp's therapist roster, which Maker Therapy re-reads once a day; this page reflects the reading taken on 7 Nov 2026. The licence number and NPI are cross-checked against public registers.

The plain-English method descriptions, the first-session walkthrough and the questions are written by Maker Therapy and labelled as such wherever they appear.

Maker Therapy is not BetterHelp, does not take bookings, and has not met Tanadja. There are no reviews or ratings on this page because we have no way to verify one. If you start therapy through a link here, we may be paid a commission - it does not change your price and it does not affect who appears here or in what order.

Something on this page wrong or out of date? Report it and it will be checked against the source.