At a glance
- Credentials
- LISW
- License
- LISW, Iowa / 01283
- NPI
- 1104840347
- Experience
- 35 years
- Languages
- English
- Location
- Iowa
Details come from information the therapist supplied to BetterHelp. A license can be checked with the state board.
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- Person-centered approach
- Motivational support
- Trauma sensitivity
About Mary
Mary Blankenburg is a licensed independent social worker with 35 years of practice experience. She prioritizes building a strong therapeutic relationship and meets people where they are. Mary focuses on helping clients with stress, anxiety, depression, addictions, and a wide range of life challenges.
Mary spent many years in community mental health, adolescent services, and private practice. She brings long experience helping people notice how past hurts affect current feelings and choices. Her background includes work with trauma, mood concerns, attachment struggles, and issues related to identity and relationships.
In sessions she uses straightforward, person-centered methods that encourage clients to name their goals and take small steps toward them. She draws from Motivational Interviewing to support change talk and build motivation, and from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to help people test unhelpful thoughts in daily life.
Mary also incorporates Acceptance and Commitment Therapy ideas and attachment-based perspectives to help people accept hard feelings while committing to values-based action. She describes gentle body-focused practices alongside talk therapy to help people notice physical cues and ease nervous system responses.
Her approach is collaborative and paced to each person. Mary aims to increase self-compassion and strengthen coping skills so people can manage symptoms and move toward meaningful goals. Readers interested in starting are invited to use the site process to match and schedule a first appointment.
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Approaches that guide online work and healing
Mary commonly draws from Motivational Interviewing, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, and attachment-based ideas when working with clients online. Motivational Interviewing focuses on helping people find and strengthen their own reasons to change, which can be helpful for addictions, behavior shifts, or making life decisions. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy encourages noticing thoughts and feelings without fighting them and taking steps that align with personal values, useful for anxiety, depression, and coping with change. Attachment-based work looks at how early relationships shape current connections and helps people build more secure ways of relating when wounds from the past come up.
Finding the best approach is part of the therapeutic process. Mary works collaboratively to identify which methods fit a person’s priorities, needs, and comfort level. Together they set goals, try out strategies, and adjust the plan based on what is helpful.
Confirm current session formats before booking because this profile does not list specific delivery options. In general, online therapy can make it easier to fit sessions into busy days, reduce travel time, and allow short check-ins when a full visit isn’t possible. Some formats use less bandwidth or do not require video, which may suit different schedules and technology setups. Mary aims to make therapy practical and workable for everyday life while supporting people through change. -
Areas of expertise
Also works with
AddictionsLGBTRelationship issuesFamily conflictsIntimacy-related issuesSleeping disordersAnger managementCareer difficultiesBipolar disorderCoping with life changesCompassion fatigueADHDAdditional focus areas
AbandonmentAttachment issuesAvoidant personalityBody imageChronic pain, illness, and disabilityCo-morbidityCodependencyCommunication problemsControl issuesCoping with natural or human-caused disasterDependent personalityForgivenessGuilt and shameLife purposePanic disorder and panic attacksSelf-loveSocial anxiety and phobiaTherapeutic approaches
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)Attachment-Based TherapyClient-Centered TherapyCognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)Existential TherapyEye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)Mindfulness TherapyMotivational InterviewingNarrative TherapyPsychodynamic TherapySolution-Focused TherapyTrauma-Focused TherapyExperience
35+ years
Listed in
Iowa
Languages
English
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Frequently asked questions
What concerns does Mary often help with?
She helps people dealing with stress, anxiety, depression, addictions, grief, and issues with self-esteem. Her practice also addresses trauma effects, relationship and intimacy-related issues, ADHD, and career-related stress.
What style of therapy should I expect?
Mary uses a person-centered style that emphasizes collaboration and clear goals. She blends practical techniques from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and motivational methods to support change.
How much experience does she bring?
She has 35 years of clinical experience across community mental health, adolescent services, and private practice.
What are her credentials and location?
She holds an LISW, which stands for Licensed Independent Social Worker, and practices in Iowa.
Can I work with her if I live outside the United States?
Sessions are offered in English and international clients are not currently accepted.
What session formats are available?
Confirm current session options before booking since the profile does not list specific formats. Please review the scheduling details when you sign up.
How are fees handled?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability; sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
How do I begin working with her?
Use the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule according to the therapist's availability.
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Online talk therapy is not emergency or medical care. Stopping or cutting down alcohol or other drugs can be unsafe without medical advice. In immediate danger? Crisis numbers