Lara Ashbaugh, LPC

Lara Ashbaugh is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in Missouri with 10 years of experience. She works with adults facing stress, anxiety, depression, parenting strains, grief, trauma and related concerns. Lara also lists focus areas such as ADHD, addictions, and LGBT issues.

Lara uses practical, skills-based approaches in sessions. She blends cognitive behavioral strategies with Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and draws on Dialectical Behavior Therapy for emotion and coping skills. Mindfulness techniques are used to help people notice patterns and reduce reactivity.

Sessions are conversational and focused on problem solving. People often work on managing difficult emotions, improving communication around family matters, and developing steady routines after life changes. Lara also addresses topics like caregiver stress, adoption and foster care concerns, and fertility-related strain when they come up.

She pays attention to strengths and what already works in a person's life. That can mean building small habits, practicing new ways of speaking in tense moments, or learning grounding and self-regulation skills. The work tends to be concrete and action oriented.

Lara has experience as a therapist, supervisor, and teacher. She has helped people who experienced physical trauma or emotional abuse, and she brings those clinical experiences into one-on-one work. For anyone wondering how to get started, the first step is a short matching questionnaire and scheduling an initial session.

Background and approach notes: Lara favors direct, interactive sessions that combine evidence-informed techniques with attention to values and current strengths. She encourages practical skill practice between meetings and adapts the focus as goals change.

Therapeutic approaches and working online