I became a therapist because I understood, from the inside, what it feels like to appear accomplished on the outside while carrying something underneath that no one else could see. I know the particular exhaustion of being the one everyone counts on; the person who keeps things moving, makes the hard calls, and holds it together, even when what's actually happening is enormous.
And usually, you can.
Until something happens that competence can't solve.
A sudden inheritance. A business you never expected to inherit. A career ending in a way you didn't choose. A professional situation you can't talk about. A health scare that made you question whether you can trust your own body.
When you're accustomed to being the capable one, there isn't always an obvious place to put what happens next.
That's where I come in.
I Know What It Costs To Carry Something Alone
Meet Kiara
My life is full and layered.
I bring that same wholeness into how I work. This is not a one size fits all practice. We go where you need to go.
Whatever you carry: your history, your identity, the particular weight of your context, you will not have to translate your experience to be understood here. I bring the belief that every part of you makes sense in context and deserves curiosity, not pathologizing.
Featured In
That's where IFS comes in. Internal Family Systems gives us a way to work with the different parts of you that may be pulling in completely different directions.
For example, the part that wants to make the responsible decision, the part that's angry you have to make this decision at all, the part that's terrified of getting it wrong, the part that wants to disappear for awhile, or the part that's saying, "Everyone is counting on you. You don't have time for this."
We don't try to silence those parts. We listen to them. We understand what they're trying to do. And we create enough internal space for you to decide what happens next.
Knowing isn't always the same thing as being able to move differently.
You're probably already very good at figuring things out. You've researched the situation. You've talked to people you trust. You've made lists. You've considered every possible outcome. You may even know exactly why you're reacting the way you are.
You don't need another person telling you what you should do.
My clients would describe me as empathetic, direct, and challenging
I bring curiosity, clarity, and courage to our sessions.
How I Work
You built your life around earning what you have. Now you're carrying money, responsibility, and expectations you never asked for.
People navigating sudden wealth, an inheritance, or a business they never expected to be responsible for.
The People I Do My Best Work With
An NDA, a whistleblower report, a forced career exit, or professional situation where the full story can't be told.
People carrying something they can't freely talk about.
Executives and leaders after a health scare.
Your body did something frightening, but the answers aren't clear; and you're expected to return to leading, deciding, and performing like nothing happened.
What my clients have in common isn't the situation. It's that they're capable, self-aware, and ready for something to change.
You've earned your wealth through entrepreneurship and now you're navigating relationship dynamics and internal conflict.
Entrepreneurship and navigating self-made wealth.
Your Life Doesn't Have To Look Fine To Be Fine
Sometimes the outside world hasn't changed at all and internally, everything has.
Therapy gives you somewhere to acknowledge what happened without having to minimize it, perform resilience, or rush toward a silver lining.
You can know exactly where a pattern came from and still find yourself repeating it.
Insight matters. But sometimes the part of you that understands isn't the same part that's running the show.
Understanding Isn't Always Enough
Competence doesn't make you immune to grief, fear, uncertainty, anger, or overwhelm.
Being the person everyone relies on doesn't mean you should have to carry everything alone.
You Can Be Capable And Still Need Help
What I Believe About What I Do
Not a different person. More fully yourself.
I want you to feel more free inside yourself. Free enough to make decisions without being pulled apart by every competing part of you. Grounded enough to trust yourself again. Clear enough to know what matters. Present enough to actually experience your life instead of constantly managing it. Able to take care of your responsibilities without becoming consumed by them. Able to make room for the playful, creative, and curious parts of yourself that may have been pushed aside for a very long time.
I don't want you to leave therapy simply knowing more about yourself.
What I Want For You
Founder, KJ Hartwell, LLC —Therapy Practice
Founder, Thoughtfully Elevating® — Coaching Practice
Practice Ownership
George Mason University | BA, Psychology; Minor, Conflict Analysis & Resolution | May 2011
Bowie State University | MA, Mental Health Counseling, Adlerian track | December 2014
Education
Sheppard Pratt Health System | Baltimore, MD / Rockville, MD | 2011-2015; 2017-2025
Kolmac Clinic DC | Washington, D.C. | Clinical Intern | January 2014- December 2014
Hope Health Systems | Baltimore, MD | LGPC - School Based Therapist | August 2015 - May 2017
Clinical Experience
IFS Certified Therapist: Internal Family Systems Institute (July 2026)
IFS Level 3: Internal Family Systems Institute (July 2026)
IFS Level 2: Internal Family Systems Institute (November 2024)
IFS Creating Healing Circles Level 1: Trained under Chris Burris (April 2025)
IFS Level 1: Internal Family Systems Institute (November 2022)
Clinical Supervision (2018)
Post-Graduate Training
Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC) — Maryland
Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) — Virginia
National Certified Counselor (NCC)
Licensure
I'm Kiara Hartwell Opara, LCPC, LPC, NCC, a Certified Internal Family Systems (IFS) Therapist serving clients throughout Maryland and Virginia.
I have more than 15 years of clinical counseling experience and have worked with clients navigating trauma, complex life transitions, anxiety, depression, crisis, identity, and the many ways people learn to keep functioning when life becomes difficult.
I'm licensed as a Clinical Professional Counselor in Maryland and a Professional Counselor in Virginia, and I'm a National Certified Counselor and Board Approved Supervisor in Maryland.
I continue to deepen my clinical work through ongoing education and consultation.
Today, I intentionally keep my practice small so that I can provide the level of preparation, attention, and depth that intensive work requires.
The Therapist Behind The Work
Credentials & Experience
You don't have to earn your way back to yourself.
I'm a therapist, but therapy isn't the only thing I'm interest in.
You'll find me at the beach, on a tennis court, kayaking, or in a new coffee shop I've been meaning to try. I love traveling, spending time with my partner, family, and friends, trying new recipes, going to musical theater, and strength training.
I collect moments of joy wherever I can find them. I believe those things matter.
Because I don't want the goal of therapy to be that you become exceptionally good at managing your symptoms while your actual life passes you by.
I want you to have room for the things that make you feel alive.
The curiosity. The creativity. The play. The relationships. The quiet. The parts of you that aren't productive or impressive, but are unmistakably yours.
