Mark Laster, LCSW-R

Mark Laster is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with the credential LCSW-R, which denotes a Licensed Clinical Social Worker - Registered. He works with adults, older adults, and people facing physical and emotional challenges, offering practical support tailored to each person’s situation.

He begins by quickly assessing needs to identify immediate concerns and available strengths. From that assessment he connects clients with appropriate resources and offers ongoing support through each stage of change. This approach emphasizes clear, attainable goals and steps toward relief rather than lengthy or unfocused exploration.

Therapy with Mark is grounded in a solution-focused stance that prioritizes access - providing help when it is needed and adapting strategies to fit a client’s life. He integrates practical interventions with empathetic listening to help clients manage stress, anxiety, grief, relationship difficulties, mood symptoms, caregiving strain, and other life transitions.

Based in New York, he aims to create a collaborative process where clients feel guided toward concrete options and sustainable coping skills. His practice is rooted in responsiveness and resource-oriented care, helping people move forward from difficult moments toward clearer everyday functioning.

Therapeutic Approaches and Online Care with Mark Laster

Mark Laster uses client-centered therapy to create a respectful, nonjudgmental environment where the client’s perspective guides the work; this approach helps when someone needs space to explore values, life roles, or decisions while feeling heard. He also incorporates Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), which focuses on identifying and changing unhelpful thoughts and behaviors to reduce symptoms of anxiety, depression, and stress and to build practical coping skills. Solution-Focused Therapy is used to clarify immediate goals and develop concrete, short-term strategies that move clients toward the changes they want to see.

Choosing the right method is part of the therapeutic process, and Mark approaches that choice collaboratively. He listens to a client’s needs, goals, and preferences and then helps determine which combination of approaches is likely to be most useful, adjusting the plan as progress unfolds.

Online therapy with Mark is offered through video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging to increase flexibility and fit therapy into busy lives. These options make it easier to access consistent care from home, work, or while traveling and allow sessions to be scheduled in ways that support ongoing progress and real-world application of skills.