Mara Chiles , LCSW

Mara Chiles is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with 22 years of practice in New York. She helps people facing stress, anxiety, depression, grief, relationship strain, addiction concerns, parenting struggles, and issues around self-esteem and career worries. She also supports clients coping with trauma and abuse and those navigating bipolar symptoms.

Her way of working blends listening with active, practical guidance. Sessions begin by identifying strengths and setting clear, achievable goals together. She uses straightforward tools drawn from cognitive behavioral and psychodynamic ideas to help people change unhelpful thoughts and patterns.

Mara also draws on client-centered principles that let each person lead the pace and focus of therapy. Mindfulness practices are introduced when helpful to manage anxiety and stress. Narrative techniques can be used to make sense of difficult life stories and losses.

As a social worker she connects people to community resources and practical services when needed. That means therapy can include problem-solving around medical care, caregiving, or aging parent concerns in addition to talk work. Her approach aims to support day-to-day functioning as well as emotional healing.

Sessions are collaborative and goal oriented. Mara emphasizes steady progress rather than quick fixes. She encourages people to treat change as a process and to celebrate small gains along the way.

Approaches that translate well to online care

Client-centered therapy focuses on the person in front of the therapist, letting them set the pace and topics while the therapist listens and reflects. This approach helps with building trust, managing life transitions, and working through relationship stress. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, breaks problems into thoughts, feelings, and behaviors and uses clear exercises to change unhelpful patterns; it can be useful for anxiety, depression, and stress management.

Finding the right approach is part of the work together. The therapist will discuss goals, preferences, and what has helped in the past to decide whether client-centered work, CBT, mindfulness practices, or a mix will be best. That decision is a collaborative one and can change as needs evolve.

Online sessions are offered by video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging to fit different schedules and communication styles. Video calls are good for face-to-face conversation, phone sessions can work when bandwidth is limited, and chat or messaging can suit brief check-ins or people who prefer writing. These options make it easier to fit therapy into a busy life and to keep consistency across weeks.