About Mara
Mara Chiles is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) based in New York who helps people facing anxiety, stress, depression, grief, relationship strain, and addiction concerns. She brings 22 years of practice to conversations about parenting challenges, career stress, and life transitions. Her approach is calm and straightforward, aimed at helping people make small, practical changes.
Mara listens closely and uses active, compassionate listening to understand each person's situation. She looks for strengths people already have, then helps set clear goals that feel realistic and useful.
Background and approach
Her sessions mix talking, practical problem solving, and reflection. She draws on cognitive behavioral therapy to spot unhelpful thinking patterns and try new behaviors. She also uses client-centered and psychodynamic ideas to understand how past experiences shape present reactions.
Mindfulness and narrative methods are added when useful to help people manage stress and reframe their stories. Mara views therapy as a partnership. She combines counseling with connections to community resources and supports when needed.
That can include help for caregiver stress, aging-parent concerns, or chronic illness challenges. Sessions are offered by phone, video, live chat, or text messaging to fit different needs and schedules. Mara emphasizes steady progress over quick fixes and works with each person to find an approach that fits their life.
How her approaches translate to online therapy
Mara commonly uses cognitive behavioral therapy and client-centered therapy in sessions. Cognitive behavioral therapy focuses on identifying unhelpful thoughts and testing new behaviors to reduce anxiety and depression. Client-centered therapy emphasizes listening, empathy, and building goals together so people feel heard and understood.Finding the right approach is part of the work. She will talk with each person about their needs, goals, and preferences and then tailor methods accordingly. That collaboration may mean trying CBT techniques for a while, then bringing in mindfulness or narrative work if the client wants a different focus.
Online formats include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text messaging to fit different schedules and needs. Video allows more visual connection for deeper conversation. Phone sessions can be easier on low-bandwidth days or when being off camera helps. Live chat or text messaging can work for quick check-ins, brief coping-strategy practice, or when someone prefers writing to talking. These options make it simpler to keep therapy consistent around work, caregiving, or busy days.
Questions people ask
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What this therapist works with
Most often
- Stress, Anxiety
- Relationship issues
- Grief
Also listed
- Abandonment
- Addictions
- Aging and geriatric issues
- Autism and Asperger Syndrome
- Bipolar disorder
- Blended family issues
- Cancer
- Career difficulties
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Chronic pain, illness, and disability
- Codependency
- Commitment issues
- Communication problems
- Control issues
- Depression
- Divorce and separation
- Drug and alcohol addiction
- Family conflicts
- Family problems
- Fatherhood issues
- Forgiveness
- Guilt and shame
- HIV / AIDS
- Hospice and end-of-life counseling
- Intellectual disability
- Life purpose
- Midlife crisis
- Multicultural concerns
- Narcissism
- Obsessions, compulsions, and OCD
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Parenting issues
- Prejudice and discrimination
- Self esteem
- Self-love
- Sexual assault and abuse
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Trauma and abuse
- Veteran and Armed Forces Issues
- Women's issues
- Young adult issues
Therapeutic approaches
- Experience
- 22 years
- Licensed
- New York
- Languages
- English
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