At a glance
- Credentials
- LCPC
- License
- LCPC, Illinois / 180006589
- NPI
- 1942235395
- Experience
- 35 years
- Languages
- English
- Location
- Illinois
Details come from information the therapist supplied to BetterHelp. A license can be checked with the state board.
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- Addiction recovery
- Mood and trauma
- Veteran experience
About Mary
Mary Brahm is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC) with 35 years of experience. She combines direct, straightforward guidance with warmth to help people facing addiction, mood disorders, trauma, and major life transitions. Mary draws on a range of approaches and a long clinical history to support practical change.
She emphasizes meeting people where they are and building trust first. Sessions focus on clarifying goals, identifying barriers, and strengthening motivation to change. Mary uses tools from Motivational Interviewing alongside cognitive and acceptance-based strategies to help clients take realistic steps forward.
Her background includes extensive work in behavioral health and substance use settings, and many years supporting veterans and civilian personnel. That experience shaped her practical style and her attention to the lived effects of trauma, grief, and co-occurring disorders. She also has experience with hospice and end-of-life counseling and first responder issues.
Mary has worked across community mental health, senior therapist roles, and settings that required crisis intervention. She describes her approach as eclectic and humanistic, focused on helping people develop coping skills and rebuild a sense of purpose. Therapy often includes goal-focused work on communication, relapse prevention, and managing intense emotions.
She holds an Illinois Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor credential. Sessions are offered in English and reflect decades of clinical practice. Prospective clients should use the site steps to match and schedule a session based on her availability.
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How her approaches translate to online care
Mary often uses Motivational Interviewing to help people clarify what matters to them and build momentum for change. This approach focuses on drawing out a person’s own reasons for change and strengthening commitment through conversation.
She also integrates Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, which teaches skills to accept difficult thoughts while taking actions that match personal values. That approach can help with grief, depression, and managing ongoing stress. Client-Centered Therapy is another thread in her work, prioritizing a respectful, nonjudgmental relationship that supports growth and problem solving.
Finding the right mix of techniques is a collaborative process. She will talk with each person about goals and preferences and try different ways of working until a good fit emerges. Clients help shape the focus and pace of therapy based on their needs.
Session formats are not specified here, so confirm available options before booking. Online work can make it easier to fit sessions into a busy life, shorten travel time, and allow consistent check-ins during recovery or major life changes. Licensed professionals can also adapt exercises, homework, and relapse-prevention planning to remote sessions to keep progress moving forward. -
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Relationship issuesTrauma and abuseGriefIntimacy-related issuesParenting issuesCareer difficultiesCompassion fatigueAdditional focus areas
Co-morbidityCodependencyCommunication problemsDrug and alcohol addictionEmptinessFamily of origin issuesFirst responder issuesForgivenessHospice and end-of-life counselingLife purposeMidlife crisisVeteran and Armed Forces IssuesMulticultural concernsPrejudice and discriminationProcess addiction (porn, exercise, gambling)Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)Sex addictionSexual assault and abuseYoung adult issuesTherapeutic approaches
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)Client-Centered TherapyCognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)Existential TherapyEye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)Mindfulness TherapyMotivational InterviewingNarrative TherapyPsychodynamic TherapySolution-Focused TherapyTrauma-Focused TherapyExperience
35+ years
Listed in
Illinois
Languages
English
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Frequently asked questions
What concerns does Mary commonly address?
She helps people with addictions, depression, bipolar disorder, trauma and abuse, grief, relationship and intimacy issues, parenting stress, career concerns, and compassion fatigue.
What is her general therapy style?
Her style is direct and practical while also supportive. She blends motivational approaches with cognitive and acceptance-based methods to set clear goals and build skills.
How much clinical experience does she have?
She brings 35 years of clinical work, including behavioral health, substance use treatment, community mental health, and crisis intervention roles.
What credentials and location does she maintain?
She is an Illinois Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC) practicing from Illinois.
Which languages are supported in sessions?
Sessions are offered in English.
Can people outside the United States work with her?
She is not accepting international clients at this time.
How does pricing and payment work?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability and sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
What are the first steps to begin therapy?
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