Astra Barkley, LPC, LCMHC

Astra Barkley is a licensed professional counselor who focuses on helping people manage stress and anxiety. She uses a practical, person-focused style to help people find clearer thinking and calmer days. Astra brings a steady presence to sessions and aims to make therapy feel understandable and doable.

She has worked across nonprofit services, schools, state agencies, and private practice for many years. That includes foster and adoptive case work and supporting children with special needs. For more than eight years she has provided mental health counseling in private settings for concerns like depression, ADHD, anxiety, adjustment disorders, and stress-related problems.

Astra also works in higher education. She is an adjunct instructor at Troy University teaching bachelor-level psychology courses. She is a graduate teaching assistant at Auburn University and is enrolled in a doctoral program in counselor education and supervision.

Her background as a foster and adoptive parent informs how she talks about parenting and permanency issues. She has experience advocating for foster families and offering training on partnering approaches for safety and permanence.

When she meets someone, Astra adapts her approach to fit that person’s needs. She draws from client-centered practices, cognitive behavioral techniques, existential ideas, motivational interviewing, and solution-focused work to shape a plan that feels realistic for each person. She also pays attention to multicultural concerns in therapy.

Approaches that translate to online work

Astra commonly draws on cognitive behavioral and client-centered approaches in her counseling. Cognitive behavioral therapy focuses on identifying thought and behavior patterns and testing small changes to reduce anxiety and stress. Client-centered work centers on listening, reflecting, and helping people set their own goals so sessions feel grounded in what matters most to them.

Finding the right approach is a collaborative process. The therapist will talk with each person about their goals and preferences and then try methods that fit those needs. Sessions can shift over time as priorities change, and Astra adjusts techniques so they make sense for daily life and current stressors.

The biography does not specify which online session formats are offered, so confirm current options before booking. Online therapy can make it easier to balance appointments with work, school, and parenting. It can also allow shorter check-ins, avoid travel time, and help people join a session when they have a quieter moment or limited bandwidth. Licensed professionals can adapt CBT and client-centered practices to work well in distant sessions, focusing on practical steps, skill-building, and problem solving that fit into a person’s routine.