Tonya Carpenter , LCSW

Tonya Carpenter is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) and a Licensed Addiction Counselor (LAC) practicing in Montana. She holds a Master of Social Work (MSW) from the University of Southern California with an emphasis in Military and Veterans Affairs, and brings both professional and personal insight to her work as a veteran. Tonya’s clinical background includes three years of hospital-based counseling, six years in private practice, experience as a school behavior intervention specialist for grades 6-12, and work supporting adults with disabilities. These varied settings inform a practical, experience-driven approach to care.

Tonya blends a direct, upfront style with a warm, nonjudgmental stance, preferring clear questions over assumptions. She frames challenges as understandable responses to life circumstances rather than signs of being broken, and partners with clients to expand skills and improve quality of life. Her primary clinical focus includes trauma and military affairs, and she supports people facing co-occurring disorders, substance use, PTSD, depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, child abuse and neglect, communication difficulties, anger management, and other life stressors.

Tonya uses a client-centered, strengths-based, solution-focused framework alongside evidence-based methods such as motivational interviewing, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), and dialectical behavior therapy (DBT). She also holds certifications in EMDR (eye movement desensitization and reprocessing), MRT (moral reconation therapy), trauma-focused CBT, and trauma narratives. Tonya aims to respond to messages within 24 hours Monday through Friday and tries to accommodate live session scheduling while noting limited evening and some weekend availability.