Tara Vossenkemper | PhD, LPC

Individual Counseling, Couples Therapy & Marriage Counseling | Jefferson City, MO

My name is Dr. Tara Vossenkemper. I’m the Founder and Visionary of The Counseling Hub, and a practicing counselor in the state of Missouri.
I specialize in Gottman Method Couples Therapy, am level 3 trained, and in the certification process!

***Tara is not currently accepting clients***

Tell me if any of this sounds like you...

  • struggling in a relationship or one the brink of calling it quits (but want to give it one more shot);

  • fighting nonstop with your partner or having terrible fights when they happen;

  • questioning the meaning or purpose of life;

  • feeling indifferent towards your spouse and want to discern whether to try or not;

  • feel like you’re beating your head against a wall when you and your partner argue (read: why can’t they just understand what you’re trying to say?!);

  • sick and tired of feeling terrible after conflict occurs between you and your partner;

  • feeling empty, like there's a big hole in your stomach and you can't find a way to fill it;

  • asking “what’s the point?” about life, your work, and/or your relationship;

  • feeling really disconnected from your partner and don't know how to reconnect;

  • feeling ‘out of love’ with your spouse or partner;

  • questioning whether to leave a relationship.

pronouns: she/her

In Tara’s Words: WikiHow Expert Co-Author

The above are common reasons people come into counseling. These are the reasons people seek help. More often than not, folks still feel some sort of shame in reaching out. One of the reasons I founded The Counseling Hub was to diminish that sense of shame, to normalize the fact that all people struggle in some way during their lives, and to empower people to grow and heal in their own unique way.

The Counseling Hub is all about connecting, healing, and growing. 

I’m simply here to be a light throughout those darkened paths on your journey. Not to lead you, not to guide you, but to help you see that you’re the one who is steering, that you’re the one with the power to change and heal, that you’re the one who is living this life. No shame and no regret, just fully embracing what it is to be alive.

It’s a beautiful thing.

Five Fun Facts About Tara

  1. I’m a self-care ‘expert’. :)
    Ha! As if such a thing really exists. After many years of living life without a concept of self-care (and failing miserably in many ways), I’ve finally figured out that self-care is one of the kindest, most important things we can do for ourselves. It’s how I manage my own health, relationships, and sanity while, at the same time, giving my all to others. And yes, it’s still (and always will be) an ongoing process. And no, if you didn’t get the message above, I'm not really an ‘expert.’ This is something I put a lot of effort into, though, because I deem it one of the most important things in life.

  2. I love nature and animals.
    Big time. There is no amount of words that can adequately describe the brilliance and simplicity of nature. Much like life, it’s not always fair or easy, but it’s beyond amazing how creatures and plants (big and small) find ways to survive and thrive in this world. I think this goes without say, but I don’t know all there is to know about nature or animals and never will. However, I will probably use some metaphors and analogies of animals and nature in counseling. It’s become part of who I am. Plus, given the amount of brilliance in nature, it’s hard not to incorporate it into therapeutic work.

  3. Learning is nonstop for me.
    In any setting–reading (self-help books a guilty pleasure), documentaries, school, webinars, trainings, podcasts–you name it, I’m on it. There’s something in my biology that pushes me to learn and understand things at the deepest level I’m capable of. I love learning about people, in particular, and I keep coming back to that old adage, “The more you know, the more you realize you don’t know.” Yes, yes, YES.

  4. The Office (US version) is my FAVORITE SHOW EVER.
    This would be embarrassing to say if I wasn’t so in love with the show, but I’ve seen the full series well over 30 times. Yes, I’m serious. I watch it, finish it, then start it again. If I’m not quoting it, reminiscing about “that one scene where,” or crying over Michael’s departure (or Pam and Jim’s wedding or the series finale or some other random scene), then I must be ill. The absurdity of the show coupled with Michael’s completely oblivious nature makes the show totally silly and HILARIOUS. #TheOfficeForever

  5. I’m not an expert on you.
    Yes, I am very good at seeing patterns in people’s lives, at recognizing unrealistic beliefs, at peeling metaphorical bandaids off of unhealed wounds, and at giving gentle, direct feedback to clients. However, when push comes to shove, I am merely the person who is asking the right questions, in the right environment, with lots of compassion and curiosity, who genuinely, truly cares, and who wants you to succeed. With all of that said (and maybe the most important ‘secret’ of therapy), I am not the one with the answers. You are. And my goal is to get you to a place where you begin to believe that as much as I do.

Tara’s Education and Training

Tara Vossenkemper earned her PhD in Counselor Education and Supervision from the University of Missouri–Saint Louis (ranked second in the nation for all counselor education programs), and earned her Master of Arts in Counseling from Missouri Baptist University. She is a Licensed Professional Counselor in the state of Missouri and has presented at regional and national conferences on the topics of ethnic and racial discrimination, sexual minority distress, working with intimate relationships, and spirituality, and is does light business consulting (for practice owners) on the side.

Tara has a diverse set of clinical experiences, working with both adolescents and adults on issues ranging from emotional and behavioral to eating disorders, anxiety, spirituality, and existential crises. However, she specializes (and is most passionate about) couples therapy and marriage counseling. Tara enjoys working with couples who want to decrease toxic conflict and increase the effectiveness and safety within conflict, relearn how to communicate with each other in effective ways (and where each partner feels understood), or who feel very disconnected and want to give their relationship one last shot.

Tara has completed Level 3 training in the highly effective Gottman Method Couples Therapy (Level 1, Level 2, and Level 3). She has also been formally trained as in the Prepare-Enrich Premarital Couples Counseling approach and the PREP Approach for couples counseling. In addition to the formal training, Tara’s dissertation was focused on relationship satisfaction and detracting factors. Tara was a former regular contributor to the American Counseling Association blog (you can read her work here) and is currently serving as the President Elect-Elect for the American Counseling Association of Missouri.