My name is Mary and I'm a therapist based in the beautiful mountains of California. I love paddle boarding in the summer, long conversations with loved ones over a nice meal, and anything related to the musical theater. I’m a sensitive person who tries to appreciate the little things in life, and I’m truly grateful to be a therapist—it’s a career I love and feel fortunate to have found!
What can clients expect to take away from sessions with you?
The first session with me is a bit different from others. Here’s what you can expect: 1. Administrative details: We’ll go over important things like confidentiality, scheduling appointments, and how to communicate between sessions. 2. Reason for therapy & assessment: We’ll talk about why you're seeking therapy and what symptoms you may be experiencing. I’ll assess your mental health to see if you meet criteria for any mental health diagnoses (which is required by insurance companies if they are helping to pay for services. We mahy not cover everything in the first session, but we’ll make a good start and have a better understanding of what's going on. If you know what you'd like to talk about, I’ll listen and ask questions to clarify. If you're unsure, I’ll help guide the conversation. 3. Therapy goals: We’ll discuss your goals for therapy and what you'd like to focus on or change. Your treatment plan and goals will be based on your priorities! 4. Next steps: At the end of the session, we’ll schedule your next appointment if you feel comfortable moving forward and we think we're a good fit for each other. If we feel we may not be a good fit for each other I am happy to help provide some support to help you find that right fit for you.
Explain to clients what areas you feel are your biggest strengths.
I hope that one of my greatest strengths is developing a relationship with my clients that is supportive, honest, validating, and safe enough to explore those painful and sensitive parts of themselves. I show up with my clients authentically-with jokes, honest emotional responses, accountability, and love.
Describe the client(s) you are best positioned to serve.
I enjoy working with people who are thoughtful, introspective, and motivated to understand themselves better and make positive changes. It’s energizing for me when my clients and I can explore their thoughts, beliefs, and patterns together, leading to those "aha" moments, and then work together to figure out the next steps to take towards healing. I believe you can usually tell early on if it’s a good fit, and I aim to build honest, trusting relationships with my clients. If you’re interested in seeing if we might work well together, please reach out—I’d love to meet you!
About Mary Parker
Licensed in
Appointments
VirtualMy treatment methods
Acceptance and commitment (ACT)
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is a type of therapy that helps you deal with difficult thoughts and feelings by teaching you to accept them, rather than fight or avoid them. It focuses on living a meaningful life based on your values, even when faced with challenges or uncomfortable emotions. Instead of trying to control or get rid of negative feelings and thoughts, ACT helps you learn how to be more present in the moment and take actions that align with what truly matters to you.
Internal Family Systems (IFS)
Internal Family Systems (IFS) is a therapy model that has been a powerful tool in my own healing and in my work with clients. In IFS, the mind is seen as having different "parts"—like different inner voices or feelings—that can sometimes get stuck or hurt, especially due to past experiences or trauma. These parts can include things like a critical inner voice, a scared child part, or a part that tries to protect you. IFS focuses on healing these parts by helping you connect with your core, compassionate "Self"—the part of you that is naturally wise, calm, and able to guide the others. By working with these parts in a compassionate way, IFS helps bring balance to your internal world and leads to lasting emotional healing.
Trauma Informed Care
Trauma touches many of our lives, and I do my best to be a calming and respectful support for you as you seeking healing from your experiences. Generally I recommend body-based therapies to help with trauma (like EMDR, somatic experiencing, and brainspotting), but I can provide you with resources, help you make sense of your experiences and symptoms, and help you untangle the belief systems you learned through past traumas. IFS is an evidence-based therapy I mentioned earlier that is effective in helping people find relief from post-traumatic stress, which is the emotional, mental, and physical strain caused by past traumatic events. This therapy helps address the deep effects of trauma and supports healing.