- Client-centered care
- Trauma-informed tools
- Grief and loss focus
About Dara
Dara Charlton is a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) based in Oregon with 20 years of clinical experience. She focuses on helping adults manage depression, anxiety, grief, and relationship concerns. Her work also covers stress, eating and sleep difficulties, addiction, trauma and abuse, and challenges around intimacy and self-esteem.
Dara offers straightforward, practical therapy aimed at real life changes. Sessions often include looking at thoughts and behaviors, building emotional skills, and practicing new ways of relating. She pays attention to how life events - like caregiving, illness, loss, or major transitions - shape daily functioning.
Her approach is collaborative and client-centered. Dara listens closely and adapts tools to fit each person’s needs, drawing on techniques from cognitive behavioral and dialectical behavior therapies when helpful. Mindfulness and emotionally focused work are also part of her toolbox.
She is experienced supporting people facing aging and geriatric issues, cancer, chronic pain and disability, and the practical strains of caregiving. Dara also addresses attachment and abandonment concerns, blended family dynamics, body image, codependency, and commitment or communication problems.
Dara aims to create a warm, nonjudgmental space where people can explore hard feelings, learn coping skills, and rebuild strength. She helps clients set clear goals and take manageable steps toward them.
Dara offers straightforward, practical therapy aimed at real life changes. Sessions often include looking at thoughts and behaviors, building emotional skills, and practicing new ways of relating. She pays attention to how life events - like caregiving, illness, loss, or major transitions - shape daily functioning.
Her approach is collaborative and client-centered. Dara listens closely and adapts tools to fit each person’s needs, drawing on techniques from cognitive behavioral and dialectical behavior therapies when helpful. Mindfulness and emotionally focused work are also part of her toolbox.
She is experienced supporting people facing aging and geriatric issues, cancer, chronic pain and disability, and the practical strains of caregiving. Dara also addresses attachment and abandonment concerns, blended family dynamics, body image, codependency, and commitment or communication problems.
Dara aims to create a warm, nonjudgmental space where people can explore hard feelings, learn coping skills, and rebuild strength. She helps clients set clear goals and take manageable steps toward them.
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
AddictionsFamily conflictsTrauma and abuseIntimacy-related issuesSleeping disordersParenting issuesAnger managementSelf esteemCoping with life changesCompassion fatigue
Additional focus areas
AbandonmentAging and geriatric issuesAttachment issuesBDSM, kink, and alternative sex cultureBlended family issuesBody imageCancerCaregiver issues and stressChronic pain, illness, and disabilityCo-morbidityCodependencyCommitment issuesCommunication problemsControl issuesCoping with natural or human-caused disasterDivorce and separationDrug and alcohol addictionEating and food-related issuesEmptinessFamily problemsFertility issuesFirst responder issuesForgivenessGender dysphoriaGuilt and shameHIV / AIDSHoardingHospice and end-of-life counselingImmigration issuesImpulsivityInfidelityIsolation / lonelinessJealousyLife purposeMidlife crisisMoney and financial issuesMood disordersNarcissismPanic disorder and panic attacksPersonality disordersPolyamory / non-monogamous relationshipsPostpartum depressionPost-traumatic stressPregnancy and childbirthPrejudice and discriminationProcess addiction (porn, exercise, gambling)Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)Self-harmSelf-loveSex addictionSexual assault and abuseSexualitySocial anxiety and phobiaTrichotillomaniaWomen's issuesWorkplace issuesYoung adult issues
Therapeutic approaches
Client-Centered TherapyCognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT)Mindfulness TherapyMotivational InterviewingPsychodynamic TherapySolution-Focused TherapyTrauma-Focused Therapy
Experience
20+ years
Credentials
California, Oregon
Languages
English
How Dara’s approaches work in online care
Client-centered therapy focuses on what matters most to the person in front of the therapist. It centers the person's goals and priorities and supports change at a comfortable pace. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) looks at how thoughts and behaviors interact and teaches practical skills to shift unhelpful patterns that fuel anxiety, depression, and sleep or eating problems. Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) offers concrete tools for managing intense emotions, improving distress tolerance, and strengthening relationships.Dara treats finding the right approach as a team effort. She will talk with clients about their goals and preferred ways of working, try methods that fit, and adjust the plan as needed. The process is collaborative and paced to each person's needs.
Practical benefits of online therapy include fitting sessions into a busy schedule and keeping momentum between appointments. Online work can make it easier to attend from different locations or to use shorter check-ins when needed. Confirm current session options before booking so you know which formats are available and how they might fit your life.
Frequently asked questions
What concerns does Dara address in therapy?
She helps with depression, anxiety, grief, relationship and intimacy issues, addictions, trauma and abuse, sleep and eating problems, anger, self-esteem, and coping with life changes and compassion fatigue.
What is her therapeutic style like?
Dara practices in a client-centered way that adapts to each person. She combines practical strategies with emotional work and uses mindfulness and skill-based methods when helpful.
How much experience does she have?
Dara has 20 years of experience working with adults across a wide range of life challenges and transitions.
What are her credentials and where is she located?
She holds the LCSW credential and is based in Oregon.
Which languages are supported during sessions?
Sessions are offered in English.
Can international clients work with Dara?
She does not accept international clients at this time.
How are costs and billing handled?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability; sessions are scheduled through a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
How do I begin working with her?
Click the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule sessions according to therapist availability.