Roots and Reach: Dr. Tera brings online therapy to rural South Dakota, North Dakota, Montana and 40 other states

Roots and Reach: Dr. Tera Works to Bring Compassionate Online Therapy to the Rural Great Plains

A gravel road leads to a ranch in the rural great plains. Dr. Tera provides online therapy from the comfort of your own home allowing for reduced travel time and privacy.

There’s a particular hush to the Plains at dusk; the big open spaces, the honest work, the way neighborliness moves quietly through everyday life. That hush is home for Dr. Tera. Born in a rural North Dakota hospital, raised on a multigenerational family farm and ranch in Perkins Co. South Dakota, and finding solace in Montana’s mountain quiet with her husband’s family, she brings not only clinical expertise to her telehealth practice (online therapy) but a lived understanding of the culture, values, and rhythms of rural life.

This combination-expert psychological therapy training and 20 years of experience plus a Plains-born sensibility; shapes how she connects with people who’ve historically had fewer options for mental health care.

A childhood that taught her how to listen

Growing up on the family farm and ranch taught Dr. Tera how to attend to small details and to value practical, straightforward caring and tools. In tiny towns and on spread-out homesteads, people often prefer to work through things quietly, to rely on tight social circles, and to expect help that’s dependable and respectful of privacy.

She also understands the complexity of multigenerational ranching families — how shared land, work, and legacy can unite and strain relationships at the same time. Balancing tradition and change, or managing conflict when family and business overlap, often requires a clinician who “gets” the unspoken rules and loyalties of rural life. Those early lessons inform her approach: she pairs evidence-based therapy with cultural humility to show up for her clients as both a psychologist and a neighbor who truly understands the layers of family, land, and identity across generations.

Clinical skill shaped by place

Dr. Tera’s training is grounded in contemporary, research-based practices, and body–mind approaches for anxiety and stress regulation. But her confidence as a clinician is inseparable from the way she adapts those tools to fit rural life: flexible scheduling during planting or calving seasons, sensitivity to access barriers like long drives and limited local services, and an appreciation for the courage it takes to seek care in close-knit communities.

Patients notice the difference: clinical rigor delivered with real-world practicality and warmth.

Why telehealth matters in mental-health deserts

The Dakotas and Montana include many counties designated as having severe shortages of mental health professionals — places where long distances and limited resources make access difficult. According to the Rural Health Information Hub and Mental Health America’s 2025 report, these states are among the most underserved regions in the country for mental health care. Telehealth, when delivered with care and cultural understanding, bridges that gap and allows people to access support without leaving home.

PSYPACT — a bridge across state lines

Because Dr. Tera is credentialed through PSYPACT, she can provide secure, licensed therapy across 43 states, including North Dakota, South Dakota, and Montana. This compact allows her to bring specialized psychological care directly to individuals and families living in areas where help is hard to find — safely, ethically, and without the burden of unnecessary travel.

What clients from the Plains can expect

Practical empathy. Clear, collaborative treatment plans. Respect for family rhythms and the realities of rural life — from harvest schedules to caregiving demands. For many people who’ve never felt understood by urban-centered mental health services, Dr. Tera’s approach feels like a return to something essential: straightforward, compassionate care from someone who understands where you come from.

A commitment to community and continuity

Dr. Tera believes that good care is both clinical and relational. She values long-term therapeutic relationships and collaboration with local providers when in-person resources are available. When they aren’t, she helps clients navigate community supports and crisis resources, ensuring that no one is left alone in their journey toward wellness.

If you live in a mental healthcare desert

and are looking for a therapist who understands both the evidence base and the lived realities of rural life, Dr. Tera offers teletherapy that’s grounded in place, research, and genuine human connection.

Reach out here to schedule a discovery call with Dr. Tera, no need to suffer alone anymore.

Sylvan lake is one of Dr. Tera's favorite Black Hills spots in South Dakota. She prides herself on her rural roots and is grateful that PSYPACT allows her to bring therapy services to people who wouldn't be able to otherwise access expert care for anxiety, OCD, grief, women's health concerns, intergenerational family therapy, and parenting needs.

References:

• The State of Mental Health in America 2025 — Mental Health America (state access and prevalence data).

• Rural Health Information Hub — Mental Health HPSA Maps and Reports.

• PSYPACT (Psychology Interjurisdictional Compact) — Official participation and telepsychology standards.

• Montana Board of Psychologists — Announcement of PSYPACT participation effective October 1, 2025.