About Charlene
Charlene Mabins is a licensed clinical social worker who helps people facing stress, anxiety, grief, and self-esteem struggles. She focuses on practical support for life changes and compassion fatigue. Charlene speaks plain language and aims to make starting therapy feel manageable for a worried parent or someone under pressure.
She uses a tailored approach rather than a one-size-fits-all method. Sessions begin with what matters most to the client and move toward small, doable changes.
Background and approach
Conversations are direct and respectful, with attention to each person’s values and daily realities. Charlene draws on strategies from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to help clients notice unhelpful thoughts and take values-driven steps. She also integrates client-centered principles to keep the work grounded in each person’s experience.
With ten years of experience and an Illinois LCSW license, she has worked with a wide range of concerns including LGBT issues, coping with illness, caregiver stress, and body image. Charlene pays attention to patterns like attachment or abandonment that affect relationships and self-worth. Therapy sessions can be paced to fit family life and other obligations.
She aims to build skills for managing panic, chronic stress, and grief. The focus is on practical tools and honest conversation to help people move forward.
Approaches that guide online sessions
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy helps people notice difficult thoughts and feelings without getting stuck, then choose actions that match their values. It can be useful for stress, anxiety, and navigating big life changes. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy focuses on identifying unhelpful thought patterns and trying small behavior changes to shift mood and daily habits. It is often used for anxiety, low mood, and coping with specific problems. Client-Centered Therapy emphasizes an open, nonjudgmental conversation where the therapist follows the client’s lead and reflects what matters most to them.Finding the right approach is part of the work. The therapist collaborates with each person to decide which methods fit best for their goals and preferences. That choice can shift over time as needs change and progress is made.
Online formats used include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging. Video lets people read facial cues and hold fuller conversations. Phone sessions work well when a lower-bandwidth option is needed or for brief check-ins. Live chat and text allow shorter, flexible check-ins during a busy day. These options make it easier to fit therapy around work, caregiving, or other commitments while keeping the focus on practical tools and ongoing support.
Frequently asked questions
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Specialties and expertise
Top specialties
Also works with
- Abandonment
- Aging and geriatric issues
- Antisocial personality
- Attachment issues
- Avoidant personality
- Blended family issues
- Body image
- Cancer
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Chronic pain, illness, and disability
- Codependency
- Commitment issues
- Communication problems
- Compassion fatigue
- Coping with life changes
- Coping with natural or human-caused disaster
- Dependent personality
- Divorce and separation
- Emptiness
- Family problems
- First responder issues
- Forgiveness
- Guilt and shame
- HIV / AIDS
- Hospice and end-of-life counseling
- Infidelity
- Intellectual disability
- Isolation / loneliness
- Life purpose
- Men's issues
- Midlife crisis
- Money and financial issues
- Mood disorders
- Post-traumatic stress
- Prejudice and discrimination
- Self esteem
- Self-love
- Sexuality
- Veteran and Armed Forces Issues
- Women's issues
- Workplace issues
- Young adult issues
Therapeutic approaches
- Experience
- 10 years
- Licensed
- Illinois
- Languages
- English