Lara Ashbaugh, LPC

Lara Ashbaugh is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) practicing in Missouri. She brings a decade of clinical experience helping people manage anxiety, depression, grief, and stress. Lara uses straightforward, respectful talk in sessions and focuses on practical steps people can try between meetings.

She blends cognitive behavioral work with acceptance and commitment ideas to help clients notice thoughts, choose values, and act in ways that matter. Dialectical behavior therapy skills are used to teach emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and clearer communication. Mindfulness practices and client-centered listening are woven into conversations to build awareness and calm.

Lara has worked with people facing life changes, caregiving strain, addictions, and trauma. She also supports those dealing with body image, gender dysphoria concerns, and LGBTQ issues. Aging and geriatric issues are listed among her additional focuses when life stage or caregiver roles are part of the concern.

Her style is warm and interactive. Sessions emphasize respect, sensitivity, and practical tools rather than labels. Lara looks for strengths to build on and adapts plans to each person's needs and goals.

She encourages realistic steps and gradual progress. If someone is ready to try something different, she helps set clear goals and measures what works. The aim is to make daily life feel more manageable and meaningful over time.

How Lara’s approaches translate to online work

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps people clarify what matters to them and take small steps toward those values, even when difficult thoughts or feelings appear. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) focuses on identifying unhelpful thought patterns and testing practical behavior changes that reduce anxiety and improve mood. Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) teaches clear skills for coping with intense emotions, improving relationships, and tolerating distress without making things worse.

Finding the right approach is collaborative. The therapist will talk with each person about goals and preferences, try methods that fit the situation, and adjust the plan as progress is made. That process helps match skills and strategies to what the client needs in day-to-day life.

Confirm current session options before booking, as formats are set by the practice. Online work can make it easier to fit care around caregiving duties, work breaks, or mobility limits. It can also allow shorter check-ins when schedules are tight, or let someone choose sessions that don’t require being on camera. Licensed professionals can use these approaches effectively through conversation, skills practice, and homework designed for use between sessions.