Book a therapist or psychiatrist in New Port Richey, FL covered by Aetna

I believe therapy works best when clients feel safe, supported, and genuinely understood. My approach is warm, collaborative, and nonjudgmental, and I strive to create a space where clients can openly explore their thoughts, emotions, and experiences at their own pace.

I understand that reaching out for help can feel vulnerable, and I value the trust my clients place in me. I work to meet each person where they are while helping them build insight, coping skills, resilience, and confidence. I believe in balancing empathy and validation with practical tools and strategies that support meaningful and lasting change.

Clients often describe me as compassionate, approachable, calming, and easy to talk to. I utilize evidence-based approaches including CBT, DBT, mindfulness, and trauma-informed care, while tailoring treatment to each client’s individual needs and goals.

I have worked with clients from ages 3 through 80 and with individuals, couples, and families. With that breadth of experience, very little shocks or surprises me, and I am able to develop an individualized approach for each client, combining therapy modalities that play to my strengths as a counselor and that are helpful for the people I’m working with.

Three principles shape all the counseling I do:

• Counseling should be efficient. Counseling has significant costs in time and money. I think the benefits far outweigh the costs but when I can give you the benefits while helping you save on the costs I will do that. So I choose approaches to counseling (like EMDR and EFT) that generally work more quickly. That being said, I don’t want to you to feel better for three to six months and then need counseling again because we only worked on symptom relief and didn’t bring healing to the underlying causes. That doesn’t seem very efficient to me. So my goal is to provide as long-lasting and complete help as possible in as little time as possible.
• The client is always in charge. People are complex and come with years of history that I can never know all of. I know a lot of things but you will always be the one who decides what you want to get out of counseling, how we work towards that goal, whether or not what we’re doing seems to be working, and when we’re done.
• Change and health happen through relationships. The work we do in counseling will touch on how your relationships impact your health. No matter what you come in for, there are always relational implications of change and relational factors that contribute to whatever it is that you came to counseling to change. Change can only happen in counseling because of our relationship. It’s my responsibility to make our relationship a place where you feel heard and accepted.

I believe everyone deserves a safe place to feel heard, supported, and understood. I earned my Master's degree in Counseling from Webster University and tailor therapy to each person's unique needs and goals. My hope is that you'll feel comfortable, encouraged, and empowered as we work together toward healing and lasting change.

Many of my clients look like they have it together—but inside, they feel stuck, anxious, or emotionally overwhelmed in their relationships. I help adults untangle painful patterns rooted in emotional neglect, people-pleasing, or past relationships that felt confusing or unsafe. Together, we’ll slow down, go deep, and help you get to the root of the issue.

Tara Payne is the owner and founder of Payne Influential Mental Health. She is a board-certified

Psychiatric Mental Health Practitioner (PMHNP). She obtained her Master of Science in

Nursing from the University of South Alabama. Tara has been a Registered Nurse for almost 20

years in which she has been devoted to helping and treating patients with a variety of conditions.

She has specialized in critical care, mental health, and several other acute care specialties. Tara is a Perinatal Mental Health provider through PSI (Postpartum Support International) as well as a Trauma Certified provider. Tara has learned how vital mental health is when it comes to treating a patient as a “whole” person. This has driven her passion to help serve the mental health community and those in need of mental health management.

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I have a BS degree in Health Science from San Jose State University and an MSW degree from the University of Southern California. Yes, I’m originally from California. I’m a licensed clinical social worker in both California and Florida. I was first licensed in 2003. For the first ten years of my practice, I worked with children, adolescents, and families.

I have over eight years of experience supporting individuals whose mental health is affected by health and medical issues. Finally, I’m trained in Eye Movement Desensitization & Reprocessing (EMDR) and Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP).

I’m a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) and founder of Roots Healing Alliance, where I help individuals and couples do deeper, meaningful healing work. I specialize in trauma, anxiety, and relationship patterns, using a mix of insight-based and body-centered approaches. My style is warm, direct, and real. You won’t get a “therapist mask,” but someone who’s genuinely in it with you. I’ll support you while also gently challenging you to grow. My goal is to help you better understand yourself and create lasting, authentic change.