Mare Hiles, MEd

(they/she)

Virtual and In Person Clinician

As the rainbow sheep from a wealthy, white suburb, I have grown happily accustomed to shutting up, sitting down, listening, and always seeking to learn. If I’m not reading or watching a story, I’m either creating one or listening to somebody else’s. Two decades-worth of being a writer, nerd, and theater kid has taught me about the uniqueness of every story. Similarly, defying uniform standards for the pockets and for the astounded look on peoples’ faces at Catholic high school was a formative experience in my understanding of the power of gender, sexuality, and religious skepticism. 

Having grown up as an outlier in a southern conservative religious environment, I found a home in fantasy and science fiction. I still belong there and have discovered new loves along the way: comic books, superheroes, TTRPGs, board games, and other wonderfully nerdy things. Even now, I find that so much from my favorite fictional worlds can translate into real life and into therapy. 

My therapeutic approach is a lot like me and probably like you too: eclectic, creative, colorful, compassionate, and always a work in progress. In more clinical terms, I bring the lenses of narrative, acceptance and commitment, relational-cultural, feminist, dialectical behavioral, and humanist therapies into the counseling space. I primarily work with adults as well as older adolescents. I am especially interested in working with queer and gender-diverse populations, religious disaffiliates and those with adverse religious experiences, and nerdy/geeky folks.

I completed my undergraduate degrees in Women’s Studies and English at the University of Georgia and my graduate study in clinical mental health counseling at North Carolina State University. My career experience has ranged from creative and communications writing to dog walking to editorial photography. My previous and current research interests include the impacts of white-centric disordered eating treatment on Black women, how racism has been used as a device in 21st century afrofuturist media, and gendered differences in the religious exit experience. 

Fees for individual sessions are $125 for 50 minutes.

Mare is directed by Grant Sparks, LPC, Certified Geek Therapist, and the Supervision of Karen Lill, MA LPC, ATR, ACS consistent with GA Rule 135.