- Warm and interactive
- Skill focused
- Goal oriented
About Tamara
Tamara Spears is a licensed master social worker (LMSW) with 25 years of experience in human services and therapy. She helps people facing stress, anxiety, depression, ADHD, relationship concerns, addiction struggles, grief, and codependency. Her manner is warm, respectful, and direct, so clients know what to expect in a session.
She draws on practical approaches to meet everyday problems. Conversations are collaborative and goal-focused. She listens first, then helps set small, achievable steps toward change. Sessions combine talking, skill building, and problem-solving rather than long lectures.
Tamara adapts her work to each person's needs. She uses Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to help with unhelpful thoughts and behaviors. She also brings in client-centered methods and Dialectical Behavior Therapy skills when emotion regulation and stress tolerance are priorities.
Her background includes inpatient and outpatient social services and therapy across a broad range of concerns. That experience informs a flexible style that blends solution-focused ideas with motivational interviewing and attachment-informed thinking. She avoids labels and focuses on what will help a person move forward.
People who meet with Tamara can expect a practical plan, gentle challenge, and ongoing support. She helps clients break issues into workable steps, build coping skills, and track progress toward clearer goals.
How Tamara's approaches translate to online work
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps people notice difficult thoughts and feelings without getting stuck in them, then choose actions that reflect personal values. It can be useful for stress, anxiety, and codependency patterns. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) focuses on spotting unhelpful thoughts and testing them with practical experiments and behavioral changes; this approach often helps with mood problems, sleep, and impulsivity. Attachment-Based Therapy emphasizes how early relationship patterns affect current reactions and connections, and it can guide work on intimacy, abandonment concerns, and communication problems.Finding the right approach is a collaborative process. The therapist will work with each client to try methods that match their goals, needs, and preferences. Sessions often mix techniques rather than sticking to a single textbook method, and adjustments are made as progress and challenges emerge.
The biography does not list specific online session formats, so please confirm current options before booking. Online therapy can make it easier to fit sessions into busy lives, help with scheduling around work or family demands, and reduce travel time. It also allows for shorter check-ins when that fits better and for using worksheets or skills practice between visits. Talk with the therapist when you match to learn which formats and rhythms she currently offers.
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
25+ years
Credentials
Michigan
Languages
English
Frequently asked questions
What concerns does Tamara commonly help with?
Tamara works with stress, anxiety, depression, ADHD, addictions, grief, relationship and intimacy issues, parenting strain, codependency, and related concerns listed in her specialties.
What is her general approach in sessions?
She uses a person-centered, warm, and interactive style. Sessions focus on practical skills, problem-solving, and collaborative goal setting.
How much experience does she have?
She brings 25 years of experience in social services and therapy, including work in both inpatient and outpatient settings.
What credentials and location are listed for this therapist?
She holds the credential LMSW, listed as MI LMSW, and is located in Michigan.
Which languages are supported and are international clients accepted?
Sessions are offered in English, and she is not accepting international clients at this time.
What session formats are available?
Session formats are not specified in the biography. Please confirm current session options before booking.
How is cost handled for sessions?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability, and sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
How do I begin working with this therapist?
Start by selecting the Start Therapy button, complete the short matching questionnaire, and schedule according to the therapist's availability.
Profile details come from information the therapist supplied to BetterHelp. Credential and registration rules differ between the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia.