Mariana Mackinnon, LCSW

Mariana Mackinnon is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who helps people facing stress, anxiety, addiction concerns, grief, relationship struggles, and life changes. She speaks English and Spanish and understands how cultural background shapes identity and healing. Her warm, direct style aims to make therapy feel doable, even when things seem overwhelming.

She draws on about eight years of clinical experience and combines practical tools with space to process strong emotions. Sessions often focus on clear steps for managing symptoms, improving communication, and rebuilding trust after losses or conflicts. She also addresses compassion fatigue and burnout for people in demanding roles.

Mariana works from a perspective that honors cultural context and identity. She uses evidence-based approaches to help people notice what matters most, change unhelpful patterns, and practice new skills. Therapy includes both short-term coping strategies and longer work on deeper wounds when that fits the person's goals.

Clients can expect direct guidance alongside listening and reflection. Mariana helps people set small, achievable goals and track progress over time. She also supports folks working through intimacy issues, identity questions, body image concerns, and complicated grief.

Her background includes living and working abroad, which shaped her sensitivity to being between cultures and expectations. That experience informs how she supports bilingual and bicultural clients as they navigate transitions and rebuild a sense of self.

How therapeutic approaches translate to online work

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, or ACT, helps people clarify their values and take small steps toward goals even when hard feelings show up. It teaches practical exercises to notice thoughts without getting stuck and to commit to actions that matter. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, focuses on identifying unhelpful thinking and testing new behaviors to reduce symptoms like anxiety and depression. It often uses short homework tasks to practice skills between sessions. Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, EMDR, is a method used to process distressing memories and reduce their hold on daily life; it combines focused recall with guided bilateral stimulation and is often used for trauma-related concerns.

Finding the right approach is part of the work together. The therapist will collaborate with each person to choose or combine methods based on goals, symptoms, and preferences. That means adjusting pace, trying skill-based tools, or moving into deeper memory work when the client is ready.

If you are considering online therapy, confirm the session formats available before booking since formats are not listed here. Online work can make scheduling easier and help sessions fit into a busy life, for example allowing shorter check-ins during a lunch break, or avoiding travel time. It can also let clients use different therapeutic tools at home and practice skills between meetings. Licensed professionals can tailor approaches used in person to virtual sessions to keep momentum and progress.