Mara Chiles

Mara Chiles is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) practicing in New York with 22 years of experience. She helps people facing stress, anxiety, depression, grief, relationship conflict, parenting challenges, addictions, trauma and related life purpose questions. Her work is practical and direct. She listens, asks questions, and helps people name what matters most to them. She looks for strengths and sets clear goals together. She also connects people to community resources when those supports are needed. Mara draws on several approaches to support change. She uses client-centered methods to follow the person's concerns. She also uses cognitive behavioral techniques to identify unhelpful thoughts and try different ways of responding. Narrative and psychodynamic ideas inform conversations about patterns and past experiences that affect current choices. Sessions tend to focus on concrete skills and decisions. That might include planning next steps at work, managing low mood or anxiety, coping with loss, or working through problems with a partner. She also supports people caring for aging parents and others balancing caregiving with their own needs. Her background includes a Master of Social Work from Hunter College School of Social Work in New York City and two decades working with a wide range of concerns. She presents herself as a social worker who links counseling with practical supports and resources. If someone is unsure what comes next, she helps them name options and test what might fit.

How her approaches translate to online work

Client-Centered Therapy focuses on listening and following what matters most to the person. It helps when someone is unsure what direction to take and wants to be heard while exploring options. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) looks at the links between thoughts, feelings, and actions. It offers concrete exercises for managing anxiety, low mood, and stress and for testing different ways of responding.

Finding the right approach is part of the process. The therapist will work together with the person to choose methods that fit their goals, preferences, and day-to-day life. That may mean trying CBT tools one week and narrative questions the next to see what helps most.

The original biography does not specify which online session formats are offered. Confirm current session options before booking. In general, online work can make it easier to fit sessions into a busy schedule, allow shorter check-ins when time is limited, or reduce the need to travel. The therapist also connects people to community resources as needed, so online sessions can be used to coordinate those next steps.