Dr. Mara Makasiar

I'm a psychologist for people whose lives have been shaped by serious illness. That might mean managing a chronic or complex condition yourself, caring for someone who is seriously ill, or working in medicine and carrying what you see home with you. I earned my PhD in Clinical Psychology from Marquette University and trained in pediatric and congenital medical settings, working alongside hospital teams in the cardiac ICU, oncology, and neurology. That background means the medical side of your life doesn't need explaining before the work can start.

Above any specific method, this is collaborative work built around your pace and what matters most to you. In practice, that means working on the thoughts and patterns that shape how you feel, one small step at a time, and figuring out what matters most to you so it can guide the life you're building. Years spent working inside hospital medical teams also mean I'm comfortable coordinating with your physicians and understanding the clinical context around your care.

Your first session is a chance to share what's brought you here and start figuring out together what you want from therapy. I'm interested in the whole picture of your life, not just the condition or diagnosis that brought you in, so expect the conversation to cover your work, your relationships, and what you thought your life would look like, alongside the medical side of things. From there, we'll build a plan together for the work ahead.