About
"My approach to therapy is thoughtful, collaborative, and relationship based.”
Why I became a therapist
Hi! I'm Mara Marin and I am a licensed clinical professional counselor in Chicago, Illinois. I believe my role as a counselor is to facilitate a safe and supportive space where I can assist you in improving your emotional well-being and help create impactful change towards improving your mental health and interpersonal relationships. My integrative therapy style is interactive and explores various aspects of identity, culture, and how one’s past and present selves intersect and interact within their world. I understand that life can be difficult when navigating the unknown and dealing with the various transitions of life. I work by acknowledging your strengths and help to guide further internal skills as well as cultivate new ones in a non-judgmental and supportive environment.
Who I work with
I am interested in working with individuals and couples that are seeking guidance and searching for stronger connections with themselves and others. I have experience working with adults of all ages and backgrounds who are experiencing depression, anxiety, trauma, and life transitions. When working with couples, I will provide an open and sex- positive safe space for us to explore patterns within the relationship and establish mutual goals towards a more fulfilling and genuine partnership. I also have experience working with families, children, adolescents and parent-child dyads. When working with children and families I incorporate therapeutic play practices through a lens of attachment theory that respects and values cultural differences and perspectives.
“I have a fun and playful approach to my work with clients that emphasizes relationships and the potential growth of self through mutually empowering relationships with others.”
Working With Me
I have a fun and playful approach to my work with clients that emphasizes relationships and the potential growth of self through mutually empowering relationships with others. I am a passionate advocate of social justice and utilize practices that are sensitive and responsive to issues of race/ethnicity, class, religion, sexuality as well as how they may influence the therapeutic process.
My Qualifications and trainings
- I received my Masters in Mental Health Counseling from Adler University, my Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Aquinas College and a Minor in Spanish from Universidad de Salamanca in Spain;
- I am a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor with the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR);
- I am passionate about social justice and cross-cultural awareness;
- I am a member of the American Counseling Association (ACA);
- I am certified in Spanish studies and fluent in Spanish as a second language;
- I am trained in the Gottman Method for Couples Therapy, which is based in over 40+ years of research on couples and relationships.