Charlene Mabins, LCSW

Charlene Mabins is a licensed clinical social worker who helps people handle stress, anxiety, grief, and self-esteem struggles. She works with people who identify as LGBT and with those facing major life changes or compassion fatigue. Charlene writes in plain language and aims to make the first steps feel manageable.

She uses practical methods drawn from cognitive behavioral therapy to break problems into manageable parts. She also draws on acceptance and commitment approaches to help people live by their values even when feelings are difficult. Sessions focus on what the person wants to change and on small, doable steps toward those goals.

Charlene builds a treatment plan to fit each person rather than following a one-size-fits-all script. She listens for what matters to the individual and adjusts the pace to match their needs. Therapy often includes talking through patterns, practicing new skills, and trying short exercises between sessions.

With ten years of experience as an LCSW in Illinois, Charlene brings steady experience without using heavy jargon. She emphasizes clear communication and respectful collaboration. Her goal is to help people feel more able to cope and make practical progress.

People who choose to work with her can expect straightforward conversation, gentle challenge, and concrete tools to use outside sessions. She encourages anyone feeling overwhelmed by stress, loss, or low self-worth to take that early step toward help.

How therapeutic approaches translate to online care

CBT, or cognitive behavioral therapy, focuses on identifying unhelpful thought and behavior patterns and practicing concrete strategies to change them. It often helps with anxiety, stress, and low self-esteem by teaching skills people can use between sessions.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, or ACT, encourages noticing difficult thoughts and feelings while committing to actions that match personal values. It can be useful for coping with grief, life changes, and compassion fatigue by shifting attention toward meaningful activity.

Finding the right approach is a collaborative process. The therapist will work with each person to choose or combine methods based on their goals and what feels manageable. Plans are adjusted over time so the work fits the person's needs and preferences.

Online therapy with video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging makes it easier to fit sessions into a busy life. Video calls allow face-to-face conversation and skill practice, phone sessions can be simpler when bandwidth is limited, live chat suits brief check-ins, and messaging supports ongoing reflection between meetings. These options offer flexibility so people can use the format that helps them keep therapy consistent.