I have been practicing as a clinical social worker for over thirty years and I have never gotten bored or tired or even considered doing anything else. I am originally from New York State and got my bachelor's degree in English literature at NYU. I took some time off to travel and then settled in Houston, Texas and got my master's degree from the University of Houston. I had extensive psychoanalysis to heal my own wounds prior to becoming a therapist and, after being licensed, I became a therapist, then clinical director, of a psychiatric day treatment center. After about seven years I opened my own private practice office where I saw clients in the evening and, during the daytime, I saw clients who were referred to me for treatment in several independent living and nursing facilities, and at a residential treatment center for adults with schizophrenia and other major mental illness. Since coming to Ohio five years ago I have been in private practice and signed up with Grow Therapy in August of 2023.
What can clients expect to take away from sessions with you?
In the first session I do an extensive evaluation that can last as long as 90 minutes to two hours, and as short as one hour. I like to get all the information I can in the first session so I can be confident I haven't missed anything important and I can give a reasonably accurate diagnosis. Clients have told me this is not at all a comfortable experience although they also tell me when it is over they felt a great sense of relief.
Explain to clients what areas you feel are your biggest strengths.
I am not afraid to enter your world and share the pain you may be feeling, and I do not try to minimize your feelings and give you a quick answer when none is apparent or appropriate.
About Mary A. Rooney, LISW-S
Appointments
Virtual
My treatment methods
Jungian
A Jungian approach starts with the assumption that human beings have the innate capacity to grow and develop into the individuals we are meant to be based on the talents and capabilities that are born within us. Jung called this process individuation. When childhood trauma and other negative life experiences impede this process symptoms such as depression, anxiety, despair, and hopelessness can arise. Healing happens when we reconnect to our innate pattern of wholeness and start to live with more authenticity as the people we truly are. T.S. Elliot described this journey: "the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time".
Psychodynamic
There are many confusing terms for the different types of therapy. One of the most well known is CBT, or Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, which is a structured approach that seeks to change conscious thoughts and observable behaviors by making clients more aware of them. Psychodynamic therapies, including Jungian analytical therapy, are less structured and recognize that relationships and circumstances of early life continue to affect people as adults, and encourages the exploration of emotions as well as thoughts and beliefs. Studies have suggested that these two types of treatment are equally effective but that the gains made in psychodynamic therapies not only endure after therapy ends but they also increase with time. So the psychological skills earned in therapy continue to be useful after treatment ends and grow stronger with use. Once the initial evaluation (which can be a pretty deep dive into early childhood up until yesterday) is completed we will talk about the client's goals and how to incorporate them into a plan for treatment. It is important that therapist and client establish a relationship of trust, or a "good fit", so we can work together productively. I encourage prospective clients to schedule a free fifteen minute consultation call with me prior to signing up for therapy so I can answer any questions you may have and we can both get an idea of how well we could work together.
