About Astra
Astra Barkley is a licensed professional counselor who draws on 12 years of clinical experience to help people manage stress, anxiety, and major life changes. She works with individuals facing depression, ADHD, addiction concerns, grief, and challenges tied to relationships and parenting. Astra brings a direct, practical style that focuses on immediate, useful steps people can try between sessions.
Her background includes work across nonprofit agencies, schools, and independent practice settings.
Background and approach
That variety shaped her approach to supporting people from diverse cultural backgrounds and with complex life histories. She has also worked with foster and adoptive families and with children who have special needs while helping them access community services. Astra integrates several therapy methods so each person’s plan fits their needs.
She commonly uses Client-Centered techniques to build a respectful therapeutic relationship and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to identify and change unhelpful thinking patterns. Motivational Interviewing and Solution-Focused work appear when clients want to set and meet practical goals. Alongside clinical work, Astra teaches undergraduate psychology courses at the university level and remains active in counselor education.
That teaching role keeps her current with evidence-informed ideas and classroom-tested ways to explain coping skills. Her practice emphasizes straightforward tools and steady problem solving. Parents and individuals looking for clear, down-to-earth help will find an emphasis on real-life strategies and gradual progress.
Astra aims to make sessions feel like a plan you can use the next day, not just a list of ideas to think about.
Therapeutic methods and how they work online
Astra often uses Client-Centered Therapy and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy in her online work. Client-Centered Therapy focuses on listening, empathy, and helping a person find their own solutions. It helps when someone needs emotional support and a nonjudgmental space. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy looks at how thoughts, feelings, and behaviors connect and teaches specific skills to change unhelpful patterns and manage symptoms like anxiety or depression.Finding the right approach is collaborative. Astra will talk with each person about their needs, goals, and what feels most helpful. Together they try approaches, track what works, and adjust the plan so therapy fits daily life and short-term goals.
Online sessions use video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging to make therapy more flexible. Video lets people work face-to-face when convenient. Phone sessions can be easier when bandwidth is limited or when someone prefers not to be on camera. Live chat and text messaging are useful for brief check-ins, goal tracking, or when a shorter contact fits a busy day. These options help people keep therapy consistent around work, school, and family commitments.
Questions people ask
What kinds of problems does she help with?
What is her approach in sessions?
How long has she been working in mental health?
Where is she licensed and based?
Can I work with her if I live in another country?
What session formats are available?
How does payment and cost work?
How do I begin working with her?
What this counselor works with
Most often
- Stress, Anxiety
- Parenting issues
- Self esteem
Also listed
- Addictions
- ADHD
- Bipolar disorder
- Coping with life changes
- Depression
- Family conflicts
- Grief
- LGBT
- Multicultural concerns
- Relationship issues
- Trauma and abuse
Therapeutic approaches
- Experience
- 12 years
- Licensed
- Alabama, New Hampshire
- Languages
- English