- Addictions
- CBT strategies
- Mindfulness skills
About Mary
Mary Van Hooser is an Ohio LISW with 35 years of experience in mental health care. She helps people who feel overwhelmed, discouraged, or traumatized and who want practical coping skills and steady support.
She works at a pace set by each person. Sessions focus on talking through what helps a person feel calmer and less stigmatized. Mary draws on her own lived experience to relate to stress from serious mental illness and addiction in family members.
Mary also supports people living with chronic mental health conditions who want encouragement to manage daily life. She hears concerns about grief, relationship strain, intimacy, and persistent mood or anxiety problems. Anger and impulsivity are among the practical behaviors she addresses in sessions.
Her style is straightforward and person-focused. She listens for patterns in current and past experience, and helps people try problem-solving steps that fit their lives. She aims to create a nonjudgmental atmosphere so clients can speak openly about shame, guilt, or isolation.
Mary integrates several approaches when helpful. She uses client-centered techniques to clarify goals, cognitive behavioral strategies to test unhelpful thinking and behavior, and elements of mindfulness and dialectical skills for managing strong emotions. She also draws on existential ideas when people are working through life purpose or meaning.
Mary has experience with first responder and veteran concerns and understands some aspects of veteran culture. She works with individuals affected by addiction, trauma, postpartum depression, and a wide range of mood disorders.
How her approaches translate to online work
Mary blends client-centered listening with cognitive behavioral therapy and dialectical behavior therapy in straightforward ways. Client-centered work focuses on understanding what matters to you and setting goals at your pace. CBT looks at thoughts and behaviors that keep problems going and teaches practical exercises to try between sessions. DBT adds skills for handling intense feelings and managing urges in the moment.Finding the right mix of these approaches is part of the first conversations. She will work collaboratively to identify which methods match your goals, and adjust them as you learn what helps. That means trying simple skills, checking how they fit into your daily life, and changing course when needed.
The original biography does not list specific session formats, so confirm the available online options before booking. Online work can make it easier to fit sessions into busy schedules, allow shorter check-ins when needed, and reduce travel time. For some people, phone sessions use less bandwidth and feel easier than video, while video lets the therapist read facial cues during skills practice. Mary aims to help integrate therapeutic steps into everyday routines so people can manage anger, stress, and mood more effectively.
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
35+ years
Listed in
Ohio
Languages
English
Frequently asked questions
What kinds of anger or related concerns does she work with?
She works with anger, impulsivity, resentment, and related issues along with depression, anxiety, trauma, and addiction.
What is her therapeutic style?
She uses a person-centered, practical style that focuses on listening, problem solving, and skill practice such as CBT and DBT tools.
How much experience does she have?
Mary has 35 years of experience in mental health practice and long experience supporting people affected by serious mental illness and addiction.
What are her credentials and where is she based?
She is an Ohio LISW and practices from Ohio.
Can sessions be conducted in other languages or internationally?
Sessions are offered in English and she accepts international clients.
What session formats are offered?
Please confirm current session formats before booking as the biography does not list specific formats.
How are fees handled?
Cost varies with location and sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
How do I begin working with her?
Use the See online therapy options button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and then schedule a first session.