01 · Who Tara works with

Tara works with addictions, trauma and abuse and self esteem

Tara lists 14 specialisms and 45 further focus areas. Specialisms are the subjects Tara chose to list first, which is the closest a listing gets to “this is my actual practice”.

02 · In Tara's own words

What Tara says about the work

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

I am licensed in Indiana with 10 years of professional work experience. I have worked within inpatient, outpatient, medication-assisted treatment, and academic settings throughout the course of my career. I have experience in helping clients with coping with addictions, trauma and abuse, & motivation, self esteem, and confidence. I believe in treating everyone with respect, sensitivity, and compassion. I will tailor our dialog and treatment plan to meet your unique and specific needs. My core belief regarding the therapeutic process is the recognition each individual has inherent worth and value. I will tailor my therapeutic approach and techniques to best fit your needs and I have experience with a variety of approaches including Solution-Focused Brief therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, and additional Client-Centered therapeutic approaches. I have worked with populations (18+ ages) in the areas of addiction (both chemical and behavioral), mental health (including major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, personality disorders anxiety disorders, disorders related to both short and long term trauma), and regularly have treated co-occurring disorders. Taking the first step to sign up for therapy can take courage and I am proud of you for getting started!

Tara Wagner, on the BetterHelp listing · read 6 Nov 2026

03 · How Tara works

The 5 approaches Tara lists, in plain English

These are the clinical methods Tara lists. The descriptions are Maker Therapy's, not Tara'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 Tara runs a session.

Client-Centred TherapyPerson-centred · Rogerian

The therapist does not steer toward a technique or a diagnosis. They offer sustained, non-judgemental attention and reflect back what they hear, on the premise that people find their own direction when they are genuinely listened to. Often what people mean by “someone who just gets it”.

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.

Motivational InterviewingMI

A way of talking about change with somebody who is genuinely in two minds about it. The therapist does not argue for the change; they help you say your own reasons out loud, which is the part that predicts whether it happens. Common around substance use and health behaviour.

Psychodynamic Therapy

Works on the assumption that current patterns - in relationships, at work, in how you treat yourself - have a history, and that seeing the history loosens the pattern. Less structured than CBT, usually longer, and more interested in what comes up unbidden than in a weekly agenda.

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.

04 · What happens next

From this page to a first session

Tara 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 Tara'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 Tara at this point.

2. Naming Tara specifically

   BetterHelp matches algorithmically by default, so asking for Tara 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 Tara.

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 Tara

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

• “You list both Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and Client-Centred 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

LCSW

Licensed in

Indiana

Licence

IN LCSW 34007711A

Licence number

34007711A

Licence expires

1 Apr 2028

NPI

1598088973

Years in practice

12

Gender

Female

Languages

English

International clients

Not accepted

Listed since

15 May 2026

07 · Provenance

Where every line on this page came from

Tara'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 6 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 Tara. 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.