Finding steady
ground, again.
Mara Makasiar, PhD — Medical Illness, Life Transitions & Resilience
A telehealth practice for children, teens, and adults navigating the instability that comes with a medical diagnosis, a hard season of mood or stress, or a major life transition — and the work of reintegrating that experience into a steady sense of self.
Resilience isn’t a straight line — it’s how we find our way back to steady.
Illness has its own timeline.
Dr. Makasiar earned her PhD in Clinical Psychology from Marquette University, then trained in pediatric psychology through both her internship and fellowship at Dell Medical School / Dell Children’s Medical Center, working alongside pediatric medical teams the whole way through. In practice, she works with kids, teens, parents, and adults alike — a diagnosis rarely affects just one person in a family. Her training also shaped how she thinks about illness: a diagnosis doesn’t just happen once and stay the same. It changes as you do. A diagnosis at age seven doesn’t ask the same things of you as one at age fifteen, and a condition you’ve managed since your twenties can feel completely different by your forties.
Her focus is on the moments when things feel unsteady — a new diagnosis, a relapse, a change in treatment, a milestone that suddenly looks different than you expected. The work is helping you put that experience back together with the rest of who you are, rather than carrying it as something separate.
It’s considered alongside your mood, your relationships, and your day-to-day life — not set off in its own category. That includes practical support with things like staying on top of medications and treatment plans, along with the emotional work of adjusting and building resilience.
You set the pace.
You set the direction. Dr. Makasiar brings her training and full attention to help you work through what’s making things feel harder to hold onto, reconnect with what steadiness means for you, and build toward actually thriving, not just surviving. Whether it’s anxiety, stress, a hard relationship, or just a stretch of life that’s been harder than it should be, you’re met where you are, and you move at your own pace.
Credentials
- License
- Licensed Psychologist, Texas #40982
- PhD, Clinical Psychology
- Marquette University
- Internship
- Dell Medical School / Dell Children’s Medical Center
- Fellowship
- Dell Medical School / Dell Children’s Medical Center
- Clinical Experience
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- Cardiac intensive care unit
- Cardiology
- Pediatric and adult congenital heart disease
- Pediatric oncology and oncology survivorship
- Hematology
- Neurology
- Pediatric intensive care unit
- Traumatic stress
- Ages Served
- Children, teens, and adults (accepting ages 16+)
Whatever brought you here deserves undivided attention.
Some clients come because of a diagnosis. Others come because of a season of life. Many are working through both at once.
Medical & Chronic Illness
- Children, teens, and adults adjusting to a new or ongoing diagnosis
- Parents and caregivers carrying the weight of managing care
- Treatment adherence and medication management support
- Sibling and family adjustment
Life, Mood & Relationships
- Anxiety, depression, and stress
- Life transitions and developmental milestones
- Relationship concerns
- Self-esteem and identity
- Parenting stress
Wherever you’re starting from, the pace is yours.
Fostering resilience built on what you already have.
Resilience is treated as an active, ongoing process — something built and rebuilt through change — not a fixed trait you either have or don’t.
The relationship comes first
Above any specific method, this is collaborative work built around your pace and what matters most to you.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
Changing the thoughts and patterns that shape how you feel, one small step at a time.
Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT)
Figuring out what matters most to you, and using that as a compass to build a life guided by it.
A developmental lens throughout
Illness and your own life stage are always shaping each other, and treatment has to account for that.
Nothing here is one-size-fits-all
The approach is shaped around what you actually need.
A note on fees and insurance.
Dr. Makasiar is an out-of-network provider. Payment is collected at the time of each session, and clients are responsible for the full session fee.
Session Fees
$185 per 50-minute session.
Out-of-Network Reimbursement
If your plan includes out-of-network benefits, you may be able to get partially reimbursed. I’ll provide a superbill on request that you can submit directly to your insurer. Reimbursement amounts depend entirely on your specific plan — some cover 50–80% — so it’s worth calling your insurer beforehand to ask what your out-of-network mental health benefits are.
Good Faith Estimate
Under the No Surprises Act, you have the right to receive a Good Faith Estimate of expected charges before your first appointment if you are uninsured or self-pay.
Reach out to get started.
Send a note with a bit about what brings you in, and whether you’re reaching out for yourself or your child. Dr. Makasiar will follow up to find a time that works. Email and phone contact are both available through her Psychology Today profile.