- Warm interactive style
- ACT and CBT informed
- Focus on coping skills
About Lara
Lara Ashbaugh is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in Missouri with ten years of clinical experience. She offers a warm, interactive style and focuses on practical skills to help people manage stress, anxiety, depression, and other everyday struggles. Lara emphasizes respect, sensitivity, and a nonjudgmental approach in sessions.
She blends Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) to help clients notice what matters to them and build useful coping tools. Sessions often include skill practice for emotion regulation, problem solving, and managing difficult thoughts.
Lara has worked with people facing trauma, emotional abuse, ADHD, obsessive-compulsive concerns, and parenting or career challenges. She also addresses issues like grief, self-esteem, addictions, and compassion fatigue. Additional interests include adoption and foster care, aging and geriatric issues, body image, fertility concerns, gender dysphoria, and relationship communication problems.
Her approach draws on positive psychology to identify strengths and practical resources to build on. Lara tailors the conversations and treatment to each person’s unique needs and goals, creating a plan that fits real life. She aims to support and empower people ready to make change.
If someone is considering therapy, Lara invites them to take a first step by completing the matching process and scheduling a session. She works in Missouri and offers services in English.
How ACT, CBT, and DBT Shape Online Therapy
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) encourages noticing thoughts and choosing actions that align with personal values. It can help with anxiety, stress, and making life changes by focusing on what matters rather than getting stuck in unhelpful thoughts.Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) looks at the links between thoughts, feelings, and actions. It uses straightforward exercises to test and shift unhelpful thinking patterns and to try new behaviors that reduce anxiety and depression.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) emphasizes emotion regulation and coping skills. It teaches tools for managing intense feelings, improving communication, and tolerating distress more effectively.
Finding the right approach is part of the work together. Lara will help clients figure out which methods fit their goals, needs, and preferences, and she adapts the plan over time. The process is collaborative and paced to each person’s situation.
Practical benefits of online therapy include easier fitting of sessions into a busy schedule and reducing travel time. If you’re considering sessions, confirm the available session formats before booking so they match your needs. Online work can allow focused skill practice, shorter check-ins when needed, and more consistency in attending appointments.
Areas of focus
Frequently asked questions
What concerns does this therapist address?
Lara helps people with stress, anxiety, depression, grief, and coping with life changes. She also addresses ADHD, addictions, trauma and abuse, parenting stress, career issues, and related concerns.
What is her therapeutic style?
Her style is warm and interactive, with an emphasis on respect and sensitivity. Sessions focus on practical skill building and using each person’s strengths.
How much clinical experience does she have?
She has ten years of experience working as a therapist, supervisor, and teacher. That background informs her work with a wide range of concerns.
What are her credentials and location?
She is a Licensed Professional Counselor, LPC, practicing in Missouri. The listing uses the credential exactly as provided.
Which languages are supported?
Sessions are offered in English.
Can people outside the U.S. work with her?
International clients are not currently accepted. Prospective clients should plan for services within the therapist’s licensed region.
How are sessions priced?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability, and sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time. Exact pricing can be reviewed during the matching process.
What are the steps to begin therapy?
Start by selecting the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and then schedule according to therapist availability.