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Therapy is a wonderful way to support your child, and it helps when they actually like to come! Using a child-centered approach, Mary (she/her/hers) offers choices of play-based therapeutic activities within a predictable format to help your child experience both autonomy and comfort during sessions. Mary and her clients share in unstructured play, games, role-playing, and books to explore feelings and to develop coping strategies, social skills, and problem solving. If you are a parent seeking support with parenting issues or transitions, you and Mary will work together to explore your strengths and address barriers.
Mary’s primary focus is on working with preschool, elementary, and early adolescent children with emotional regulation, social interaction, self-esteem, and behavioral concerns at home or school. She has worked with children whose concerns are related to developmental delays, autism spectrum disorder (ASD), ADHD, anxiety, learning disabilities, selective mutism, and challenges associated with medical diagnoses. In addition, she has served children with concerns related to domestic violence and trauma, family adjustment, and loss. Mary also welcomes adults with parenting issues or who are survivors of domestic violence into her practice.
Mary has developed a client-centered approach and trauma-informed lens while working as a school social worker and with survivors of domestic violence. She has master’s degrees in social work from Aurora University and social psychology from the Ohio State University, and her practice is also informed by past career experiences serving and teaching children and families within schools and ministry. She utilizes mindfulness, play therapy, bibliotherapy, motivational interviewing, acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) modalities when working with clients.
Mary’s outside interests include playing electric bass, gardening, cooking, and reading. She also enjoys time with her young adult daughter and twin sons on nature trails, at restaurants, or at home with their pet cats and rabbit.
