Dara Charlton, LCSW
Practical, compassionate therapy for life transitions
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- Client-centered care
- Emotion and skills focus
- Midlife transitions
About Dara
She uses an individualized approach that blends several counseling methods. Sessions often look at current patterns, unhelpful thoughts, and relationship dynamics. The work can include skill-building for emotion regulation and clearer ways to communicate with others.
Dara also supports people coping with life transitions and identity questions. That includes midlife shifts, caregiver strain, chronic illness, and changes after loss. She pays attention to how past attachment and abandonment experiences shape present choices.
Her background includes two decades of clinical experience in community settings and direct client care. Over that time she has helped people manage addictions, eating concerns, sleep disruption, and anger. She also offers support around body image, intimacy-related matters, and blended family challenges.
In sessions Dara aims to be warm and nonjudgmental while setting clear, achievable goals. She encourages self-compassion and practical problem solving. People leave with tools to cope and clearer next steps for change.
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
20+ years
Credentials
California, Oregon
Languages
English
How her approaches translate to online therapy
Client-Centered Therapy focuses on listening and building a collaborative relationship. Online sessions using this approach emphasize empathy, reflection, and helping the person set their own goals. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, works on identifying and shifting unhelpful thoughts and behaviors to reduce anxiety and depression. Online CBT can include homework, thought records, and skills practice between sessions. Dialectical Behavior Therapy, DBT, adds concrete skills for regulating strong emotions and improving interpersonal effectiveness, which can be practiced and reviewed in remote sessions.Finding the right approach is part of the work. Dara will discuss your needs, goals, and preferences and then help decide which methods to use. That collaborative planning makes it easier to try tools that fit your life and adjust them over time.
Session formats are not specified in the profile, so please confirm current options before booking. Online therapy can make it simpler to fit appointments into a busy day, reduce travel time, and let people use skill practice in familiar routines. It can also allow shorter check-ins when a quick update is needed or audio-only conversations when video is not convenient.
Frequently asked questions
What concerns does Dara commonly help with?
Dara helps people manage stress, anxiety, depression, grief, relationship problems, and changes in life circumstances. She also works with issues like addiction, sleep problems, eating concerns, and caregiver strain.
What is her therapeutic approach like?
Her approach blends client-centered work with practical skills from CBT and DBT and attention to emotions through EFT. Sessions aim to combine understanding with tools you can use between meetings.
How much clinical experience does she have?
She has 20 years of experience providing therapeutic care in Oregon. That background includes work with trauma, chronic illness, and complex life transitions.
What credential does she hold and where does she practice?
She is a licensed clinical social worker, LCSW, practicing in Oregon. The credential is listed as OR LCSW, CA LCSW in her profile.
Which languages are supported for sessions?
Sessions are offered in English.
Can international clients schedule sessions?
International clients are not currently accepted.
How does pricing and payment work?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability. Sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
What is the process to begin working together?
Use the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and then schedule according to therapist availability. That begins the intake and matching steps.