Hello, I'm Mary E. Watts, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with a deep passion for guiding individuals, especially women, children and teenagers through mental and emotional challenges. With 29 years of experience and a Master Degree in Social work I've committed myself to foster personal growth and healing in my clients. I have worked with clients from all walks of life, genders, nationalities, ages and races. My life experiences coupled with my education, and professional experiences makes me a therapist who is well rounded, grounded in reality and capable ofmeeting my client's needs.
In our first visit we will begin the process of getting to know each other. I will explore with you the reasons you are seeking counseling at this time. Usually, in the beginning I will cover symptoms clients might be experiencing at the moment. However, sometimes we begin with the story the client wants to share right a way of what they've been experiencing. With clients who are under a lot of pressure they may need to just vent at the first session and that's okay with me if they need that space at the very beginning.
My 29 years of experience working successfully with hundreds of clients of various age groups, nationalities, genders, from all walks of life and being an African American woman makes me uniquely qualified to work with a wide variety of diversified clients. My methodology of integrating Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Interpersonal Therapy and Client Centered Therapy, focusing on the interplay between thoughts, emotions and behaviors while emphasizing each individuals unique experience creates a personalize therapeutic journey for my clients.
I have been using CBT in my practice for two decades with great success; it's a highly effective therapy. As I worked with my clients using this method the interplay between their thoughts, emotions and behavior became clear. Once my clients began to recognize that their distorted thoughts were at the root of their difficulties, whether it was anxiety , depression, etc. we worked together to correct their dysfunctional thinking. As my clients' thinking improved so did their emotions and subsequently behavior. I use different strategies to address the various manifestation of their individual anxieties.
With Interpersonal therapy I have helped people work on their relationship with others. Together with client we evaluate the client's social interactions and help them notice negative pattens. My goal has been to help the client learn ways to understand and interact positively with others