Astra Barkley
Compassionate, practical therapy for life’s challenges
LPC, LCMHC Alabama
- Experience
- 12 years in practice
- Focus areas
- Stress, Anxiety, Parenting, Self esteem
- Approaches
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Client-Centered Therapy
- Languages
- English
About Astra
Astra Barkley draws on more than a decade of mental health practice to help people navigate stress, anxiety, grief, relationship challenges, and life transitions. She combines cognitive behavioral techniques with client-centered and solution-focused ideas to tailor treatment to each person’s needs.
Background and approach
Astra has worked across nonprofit programs, schools, state agencies, and independent practice, offering support for depression, attention differences, addictions, trauma and abuse, bipolar concerns, parenting challenges, LGBT issues, and multicultural matters. Her background includes foster and adoptive case work and advocacy for foster families and children, plus direct experience with children, adults, and families in community settings.
Astra has provided over eight years of counseling in independent practice and continues to engage in higher education as an adjunct instructor at Troy University while pursuing doctoral training in counselor education and supervision at Auburn University.
She uses an integrative stance to develop individualized treatment plans and incorporates motivational interviewing and existential perspectives when they fit a client’s goals.
Integrative therapeutic approaches for online care
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) focuses on identifying and changing unhelpful thoughts and behaviors to reduce symptoms such as anxiety and depression; it suits clients seeking structured strategies and measurable steps. Client-Centered Therapy emphasizes empathy, active listening, and helping individuals explore their own goals and values; this approach supports people who benefit from a collaborative, nonjudgmental space. Existential Therapy explores meaning, choice, and responsibility, which can be useful for clients facing life transitions, grief, or questions about purpose.
Astra approaches treatment as a collaborative process, working with clients to determine which methods best match their needs, goals, and preferences. She adapts interventions over time, combining elements of CBT, client-centered work, and existential reflection when those approaches align with what a person hopes to achieve.
Online therapy offers flexible options including video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging, making it easier to fit counseling into busy schedules or to access care from different locations. These formats allow licensed professionals to provide consistent support, follow-up, and practical tools while accommodating varying communication styles and availability.
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Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
12+ years
Licensed
Alabama, New Hampshire
Languages
English