Mara Stern, MSW, RCSWI

Mara Stern, MSW, RCSWI, earned her Master of Social Work from Florida Atlantic University in 2026, following her undergraduate studies at Georgetown University. Mara works with parents, young adults, teens, and women, with a particular passion for supporting parents of children, teens, and young adults experiencing anxiety, ADHD, and behavioral challenges.

Mara believes the therapeutic relationship itself is an important part of healing. She strives to create a genuine, trusting, supportive, and nonjudgmental connection where clients feel safe exploring their goals, identity, and challenges. She works collaboratively with clients to develop practical, tangible tools and strategies that can be used in everyday life.

Mara takes a warm, collaborative, curious, individualized, flexible, empowering, supportive, strengths-based, and nonjudgmental approach to therapy. She integrates Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), which she is certified in through Florida Atlantic University, along with DBT-informed emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and mindfulness strategies. She also incorporates Narrative Therapy to help clients reshape the stories they tell about themselves and Psychodynamic approaches to explore how past experiences may shape present patterns. Mara has also completed training in SPACE (Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions).

Mara’s clinical experience includes middle and high school social work, where she worked with teens experiencing ADHD, anxiety, identity formation, peer relationship concerns, self-esteem challenges, self-harm, and suicidal ideation, as well as their parents and caregivers. Her experience in hospice also included supporting families and caregivers through grief, loss, meaning-making, and family conflict.

Mara is especially passionate about helping parents of children, teens, and young adults with anxiety, ADHD, and behavioral challenges. Through therapy, she helps clients develop practical tools and strategies, increase confidence, strengthen connections, and work toward a calmer home life. Her goal is to help clients feel seen, validated, and empowered while developing a toolbox of skills they can continue to use beyond therapy.

Mara brings warmth, honesty, and genuine curiosity to her work. She listens closely and adjusts her approach as therapy progresses, recognizing that every person and family is unique. Her hope is to help clients build more confidence, create stronger connections with themselves and their families, and develop the skills to navigate challenges with greater independence.

Outside of her work, Mara enjoys working out, drinking strong coffee, spending time in nature, reading, traveling, dogs, and spending time with her family.

Mara is a clinician with Genesis Counseling and is in-network with United Healthcare, Optum, Oscar, Cigna, Aetna, Florida Blue (BCBS), Curative, and Tricare East. She also accepts private pay clients, with session rates ranging from $125 to $175.

If you’re ready to build confidence, strengthen your relationships, and develop practical tools for navigating life’s challenges, contact Genesis Counseling to schedule an appointment with Mara.