Dara Charlton
Compassionate, practical therapy for life transitions
LCSW Oregon
- Experience
- 20 years in practice
- Focus areas
- Stress, Anxiety, Relationship, Grief
- Approaches
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Client-Centered Therapy
- Languages
- English
About Dara
Dara Charlton is an Oregon-based licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) who draws on 20 years of practice to support adults working through emotional challenges and life transitions.
Background and approach
Her work emphasizes cognitive behavioral therapy alongside client-centered and mindfulness-informed methods to help people examine patterns, change unhelpful thinking, and build practical skills for daily life. She guides clients addressing anxiety, depression, grief, relationship concerns, and trauma while also attending to issues such as eating struggles, addictions, and compassion fatigue.
Her approach balances practical tools with empathic listening, aiming to strengthen communication, self-understanding, and emotional regulation. Dara tailors sessions to each person’s needs, drawing on techniques from dialectical behavior therapy and emotionally-focused therapy when helpful to address intense emotions, attachment concerns, or intimacy-related difficulties.
Whether the focus is coping with chronic illness, navigating blended family dynamics, or recovering from past abuse, she works collaboratively to set goals and move toward meaningful change.
Therapeutic Approaches and Online Care
Online sessions with Dara often draw on cognitive behavioral therapy and client-centered methods, with dialectical behavior therapy available when clients need additional emotion-regulation skills. CBT focuses on identifying and shifting unhelpful thought patterns and behaviors to reduce symptoms like anxiety and depression, while client-centered therapy emphasizes empathic listening and partnership to foster self-understanding and personal growth. DBT contributes concrete skills for managing intense emotions, improving interpersonal effectiveness, and tolerating distress.Choosing the right approach is treated as a collaborative process; Dara works with each person to explore goals, preferences, and what feels most useful in practice. Together they evaluate which combination of therapeutic tools fits best, adapting the plan as needs evolve to ensure sessions remain relevant and constructive.
Online formats include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging, offering flexibility for different schedules and communication styles. These options make consistent care more accessible for those balancing work, caregiving, or health-related limitations, while still allowing therapists and clients to work closely on skills, reflections, and problem solving across sessions.
Frequently asked questions
What concerns does Dara commonly address?
What therapeutic style can I expect in sessions?
How much experience does she bring to practice?
Where is she licensed and practicing?
Can non-English speakers see her for therapy?
What session formats are available?
How are fees and subscriptions handled?
What steps are involved in getting started?
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
20+ years
Licensed
California, Oregon
Languages
English