Therapist profile
Mara Chiles, LCSW
Licensed Clinical Social Worker - Family and parenting concerns
Continue with MaraAbout
- Stress and anxiety
- Parenting support
- Grief and loss
About Mara
Mara Chiles is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) practicing in New York with 22 years of clinical experience. She helps adults facing stress, anxiety, depression, grief, relationship strain, parenting concerns, addiction, trauma, and issues around aging and caregiving. She also supports people dealing with career questions, self-esteem, and specific concerns such as abandonment, blended family dynamics, and fatherhood issues.
Her sessions focus on straightforward listening and practical planning. She draws on client-centered methods to find a person’s strengths and then sets clear goals together. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is used to identify patterns in thinking and behavior that keep problems going. Mindfulness and narrative ideas are brought in to help people notice their habits and tell their story with more control.
Mara combines talk-based approaches with help finding resources outside therapy when needed. That can mean connecting someone to community services or supports for an aging parent. She has experience working with grief, chronic illness, and addiction concerns alongside everyday parenting strains.
Sessions are conversational but goal-focused. People leave with concrete steps to try between meetings. Mara emphasizes steady, realistic progress rather than quick fixes.
She trained at Hunter School of Social Work in New York City and has worked across clinical and community settings over two decades. Her background includes work with people navigating life transitions, divorce and separation, and caregiver stress.
Language of service is English and practice is based in New York. Prospective clients are asked to review current session options before scheduling so they know how meetings are arranged.
How sessions work
How her approaches guide online work
Client-Centered Therapy focuses on listening and building on what already works for a person. The therapist uses this to help clients identify strengths and set shared goals, which can be useful when handling parenting stress or relationship friction.Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) looks at how thoughts and behaviors keep problems going. In short sessions CBT techniques create practical steps to change unhelpful patterns, which helps with anxiety, mood, and coping with life transitions.
Mara treats the choice of approach as a collaborative process. She will discuss which methods feel right based on the client’s goals and day-to-day responsibilities. The plan can shift over time as needs and priorities change.
Confirm current session options before booking so you know how meetings will be arranged. Online work can make it easier to fit sessions into a busy week, avoid travel, and keep appointments during work breaks. Some approaches work well in shorter check-ins and others suit longer conversations; this is something to decide together when scheduling.
Areas of focus
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
22+ years
Listed in
New York
Languages
English
Questions
Frequently asked questions
What kinds of problems does she help with?
She helps adults with stress, anxiety, depression, grief, relationship strain, parenting concerns, addictions, trauma, and caregiving issues.
What is her therapeutic style like?
She uses active listening and a collaborative approach that highlights a person’s strengths and sets concrete goals together.
How much clinical experience does she have?
She has 22 years of clinical experience working in New York settings with individuals facing life transitions, grief, and family-related concerns.
What credential does she hold and where is she based?
She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) licensed in New York and practices from New York.
Which languages are offered?
Sessions are offered in English.
Does she see international clients?
International clients are not currently accepted.
How are sessions paid for and what does cost look like?
Cost varies with location; sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
How do I begin working with her?
Select the See online therapy options button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule a first session.
Details come from information the therapist supplied to BetterHelp. A license can be checked with the state board.
Online talk therapy is not emergency care. If anyone is in danger, use the crisis numbers.