About Mary
Mary Hargarten is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist practicing from Wisconsin. She brings 25 years of experience offering both in-person and online therapy. Her approach is warm and down-to-earth, and she aims to help people find practical ways to manage stress, anxiety, relationship strain, and life transitions.
Mary uses a mix of approaches to fit each person's needs. She often draws on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to look at how thoughts affect feelings and actions.
Background and approach
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and mindfulness practices are woven into sessions to help people accept what they cannot change and focus on meaningful action. She helps people work through a wide range of concerns. These include depression, panic attacks, grief, intimacy-related issues, parenting strain, bipolar mood concerns, and trauma and abuse.
She also supports people facing midlife shifts, caregiving stress, communication breakdowns, divorce and separation, and issues tied to family of origin. Mary describes her style as caring, non-judgmental, and sometimes humorous. She treats clients as experts on their own lives and offers therapeutic strategies to try out together.
The aim is to build on existing strengths and develop coping skills that fit daily life. Practical matters are part of the work. Sessions are offered by video, phone, live chat, or text messaging.
English-language sessions are provided, and international clients are not accepted. Cost varies by location and is managed through a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
Therapeutic methods adapted for online work
Mary commonly uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to help people identify the thoughts that affect their feelings and actions, and then practice small, concrete changes. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy is also part of her work, teaching how to accept what can’t be changed and commit to steps that match personal values. Client-centered methods guide sessions so people feel heard and can steer the pace and focus.Choosing the right approach is part of the process. Mary collaborates with each person to decide which methods fit best based on their goals and preferences. That collaborative planning includes trying strategies and adjusting as progress is made.
Online formats make it easier to fit therapy into busy lives. Video calls allow face-to-face conversation when a fuller interaction helps. Phone sessions can be a good option when bandwidth is limited or when someone prefers not to be on camera. Live chat or text messaging work well for brief check-ins, homework support, or when short, flexible contact is needed between sessions.
Frequently asked questions
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Specialties and expertise
Top specialties
- Stress, Anxiety
- Relationship issues
- Self esteem
Also works with
- Aging and geriatric issues
- Anger management
- Bipolar disorder
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Communication problems
- Coping with life changes
- Depression
- Divorce and separation
- Domestic violence
- Family conflicts
- Family of origin issues
- Family problems
- Forgiveness
- Grief
- Guilt and shame
- Infidelity
- Intimacy-related issues
- LGBT
- Life purpose
- Midlife crisis
- Mood disorders
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Parenting issues
- Postpartum depression
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Self-love
- Sexual assault and abuse
- Trauma and abuse
- Women's issues
- Workplace issues
- Young adult issues
Therapeutic approaches
- Experience
- 25 years
- Licensed
- Wisconsin
- Languages
- English