Meet Tara

Tara specializes in supporting trauma healing. She has been working as a therapist at The Haven Wellness Center since 2023 and is trained in EMDR, I-CBT, and SSP. 

Tara feels that therapy is at its best with a cup of coffee or tea, and her style is one of warmth and gentleness. You might be a good fit to work with Tara if you are trying to work through painful parts of your past that show up in your relationship with a partner or with your children, or if you are wanting to heal from past trauma before having children. Tara can also support you if you’ve tried talk therapy in the past but want to work on improving nervous system regulation and/or your response to triggers from stress and trauma. 

Tara’s primary therapeutic modality is EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing). She believes in a mind and body approach to healing, and that EMDR therapy supports clients to move beyond insight gained through traditional talk therapy to achieve more significant relief from past trauma. 

Tara also practices I-CBT (Inference-based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy). Do you experience unwanted thoughts, images or impulses that repeatedly enter your mind, despite trying to get rid of them? Do you experience a lot of distress around wondering “what if”? If so, this therapy might be useful for you!

Lastly, Tara offers SSP. The Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP) is a powerful listening therapy designed to help regulate the nervous system, so you can better connect with yourself, others and the world around you. Think of this therapy as a bottom up (body) instead of top down (mind) approach. Meant to work in conjunction with other therapies, this modality is often supportive before or after EMDR. 

Tara graduated from Loyola University in Chicago with a Bachelor’s in Sociology, and since 2008 has worked in a variety of roles serving under-resourced populations that have experienced trauma. Tara spent two years as an Americorps volunteer in Chicago, and one year volunteering internationally in Peru. Following, Tara worked in case management supporting individuals transitioning from prison, resettling as refugees, and families experiencing poverty. Tara completed her graduate work at Hawaii Pacific University and the University of Texas at Arlington. 

Tara has been a Licensed Master Social Worker since 2017. Tara spent 6 years as part of the Innovation and Impact team at Momentous Institute in Dallas, where she collaborated with educators and administrators to foster trauma-informed practices and support the development of social-emotional learning and wellness programs in schools. In 2023, Tara transitioned to clinical work, joining the team at The Haven Wellness Center.

Tara would love to learn more about you, and how she can support your healing. Reach out today: tara@thehavenwellnesscenter.com. 

Tara is an LMSW under the supervision of Kelly Slaven LCSW-S.

You can learn more about Tara and what she treats here:Psychology Today