A Certified Woman-Owned Small Business
All About Dr. Tara...
MY FAVORITE SAGE VALUE:
#5 Self-care is necessary...we will rest, laugh, fellowship, and be models of joy.
"Value #5 resonates most strongly with me. As a leader, I understand the pressures of meeting internal and external agency expectations. However, as an individual who has survived breast cancer and another health scare, I know that those deliverables wane in comparison to having staff who are mentally, emotionally and physically healthy and capable. It has always been my goal to model healthy self and organizational care strategies for both the Sage team and our client partners. As I give myself permission to meet my personal needs, I am also giving others permission to do the same--and observe how, as a result, I show up as a more empathic, motivated, and skilled professional."
T.D.
My Bio
Tara Doaty, Ph.D., obtained her doctorate in Clinical Psychology from Howard University. She has also earned several certifications in evidenced-based practices aimed at strengthening parent and child attachment and working with survivors of trauma. Over the past 20 years, Dr. Doaty has developed several curricula in areas of parenting from a trauma-informed perspective, mindfulness, and recovery from various forms of addiction, racial equity, trauma-informed care, and more. Dr. Tara is the Founder & CEO of Sage Wellness Group, which provides both professional development and organizational development & strategy to numerous client agencies. The professional development services offered through Sage Wellness Group merge clinical expertise and practical experience. These workshops connect with audiences and leave them more knowledgeable and encouraged as they fulfill roles associated with being a parent, professional, agency administrator or agency executive.
Dr. Tara is a national speaker and trainer where she is frequently asked to speak on issues impacting mental and social-emotional well-being for children and adults. She has been the keynote speaker for City and County government agencies, Pediatric Grand Rounds, school districts, corporations, and non-profit organizations and has given specialized trauma trainings for judges, magistrates, and attorneys. Dr. Tara served as an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Psychology at Notre Dame University of Maryland and is a frequent guest on WEAA radio where she provides clinical insight surrounding current issues.
In April 2014, Dr. Tara celebrated the release of her first children’s book, ‘Let’s Talk About It’, a collection of 5 short stories that highlight the journey to self-discovery that every child travels. ‘Let’s Talk About It’ was selected for inclusion in Baltimore’s Enoch Pratt Public Library, and one of its stories, ‘Mindful of Me’ was chosen to assist children impacted by the Baltimore Uprising of 2015.
Dr. Tara was appointed to Baltimore City's Trauma-Informed Care Task Force, and in 2021 was appointed by Maryland's then-Governor Larry Hogan, to serve on the Maryland State's Commission for Trauma-Informed Care. In 2024, she expanded the reach of Sage Wellness Group to create Sage Leadership Institute which honors the specific roles of leaders within organizations. The first initiative of Sage Leadership Institute is Black Girl Sabbath, which caters to Black women in professional and corporate spaces, and emphasizes professional advancement while preserving emotional, physical and mental well-being. Dr. Tara resides in Maryland with her family.
Awards & Accolades
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Visionary Vanguard Awardee, Lillie May Carroll Jackson Charter School (2026)
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Inaugural Member, Trauma-Informed Care Task Force (2021-2025)
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Appointed Member, Maryland Governor’s Trauma-Informed Care Task Force (2021-2023)
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Honoree, Maryland’s Women Who Lead Initiative (2020)
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Who’s Who in Maryland, Maryland’s Leading Women (2018)
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Member, Goldman Sachs Small Business Program (2018)
As educators, we are often conditioned to think of childhood trauma in terms of dramatic events. We think, for example, of physical or sexual abuse, the death or loss of a loved one, the witnessing of domestic or community violence. Through my work with Dr. Tara Doaty, I have come to see that micro-aggressions as a result of implicit bias can be equally traumatic. The daily indignities of discrimination add up. Over time, students can disengage, act out or simply stop coming to school. The psychological harm of feeling “less than” is real. If we are fully to address equity in our schools, we must expand our understanding of trauma-informed care.
Superintendent, Princeton Public Schools
My Passion Projects
Black Girl Sabbath
Black Girl Sabbath (BGS) is a first-of-its-kind initiative which combines both wellness and professional development sessions to teach, replenish, uplift, and empower Black women professionals. Since our experiences, both personally and professionally, are unique to us, our spaces must be unique as well. Black women professionals need safe, healing spaces where they can learn new leadership skills while strengthening current ones, and incorporating moments of rest.
It's Dr. Tara
It's Dr. Tara (IDT) is a community where self-care, replenishment, and nourishment are normalized, rather than being reserved for special occasions, or done only when our bodies give out because of exhaustion. (Trust me, I've been there.) The idea to create It's Dr. Tara came as a response to workshop participants requesting personal support and community, in addition to what Sage Wellness Group was providing in professional spaces.
My personal and professional experience has taught me that the greatest relationship we have is the one with ourselves--it truly influences how we show up in every other area of our life, both personally and professionally. The IDT community brings a safe and transparent space to identify both barriers to and tools for sustained self and communal care.
Connect with Dr. Tara on social media!
