Mali Austriyak Mikhli, LCSW-R

Mali Austriyak Mikhli is a licensed clinical social worker with 40 years of experience in New York. She chose social work early on after seeing how much a caring therapist can change someone’s life. Mali aims to bring empathy and clear support to people who are dealing with hard situations.

Her style is warm and interactive. Sessions tend to be supportive and psychotherapeutic, with attention to what each person needs right now. Mali uses approaches that help people talk through painful memories, manage strong emotions, and build practical coping skills.

She has worked across many life stages and cultural backgrounds. Her specialties include post-traumatic stress, bereavement, and early childhood disruption and trauma. She also lists a wide range of concerns such as anxiety, depression, relationship strain, parenting challenges, caregiver stress, and aging and geriatric issues.

Mali draws on client-centered work, cognitive-behavioral techniques, emotionally-focused ideas, mindfulness, and narrative approaches. She focuses on listening first, then helping people find steps that fit their life. Sessions emphasize respect, sensitivity, and compassion.

People who choose her often want steady, experienced support while they make changes. Mali encourages gradual progress and helps clients build tools for everyday problems. If someone is ready to take a step toward feeling better, she offers guidance and practical help to move forward.

How therapeutic approaches guide online work

Client-Centered Therapy focuses on listening and making space for a person's own goals. The therapist offers empathy and reflection so people can find their own path through problems. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, looks at how thoughts and behaviors keep problems going and teaches practical tools to change them. It is useful for anxiety, depression, and coping with life changes. Emotionally-Focused Therapy helps people identify and process strong emotions in relationships and attachment patterns, which can be useful for intimacy-related issues and grief.

Choosing the right approach is a collaborative process. Mali will listen to your goals and try different methods to see what fits. Together you can adjust pace, focus, and techniques so the work matches real needs and daily life demands.

If you are considering online sessions, confirm the exact session formats before booking. The main practical benefits are easier scheduling, fewer travel demands, and more options to fit therapy into a workday or caregiving routine. Online work can allow shorter check-ins, sessions that fit a lunch break, or therapy without a commute. Licensed professionals can adapt client-centered listening, CBT exercises, and emotionally-focused work to an online setting to keep therapy focused and useful.