Mary Hargarten, LCSW, LMFT

Mary Hargarten is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) and a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) with 25 years of clinical experience in Wisconsin. She brings a warm, caring, and down-to-earth presence to sessions. Mary helps people facing anxiety, depression, relationship struggles, grief, trauma, and life transitions. She also supports those dealing with caregiving stress, aging concerns, parenting challenges, and mood or panic symptoms.

Mary uses practical, evidence-informed approaches to help people find workable strategies. She often draws on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to look at thoughts, feelings, and actions and to build new patterns. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and mindfulness practices are part of her toolkit for managing difficult emotions and staying connected to values.

Her style is nonjudgmental and collaborative. Mary listens closely and helps clients identify strengths they already have. She believes small, steady steps and clear goals lead to meaningful change.

Mary also works with relationship and family issues by helping people sort out patterns that began in their family of origin. She helps clients clarify their own values and make choices that fit who they want to be. Motivational interviewing and solution-focused strategies are used when people want concrete goals and a plan to reach them.

Sessions may involve skill-building, thought work, mindfulness exercises, or planning practical steps for daily life. Mary values humor and compassion in the therapeutic process and aims to help people move toward the life they want.

Approaches that translate well to online care

Mary frequently uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to help people notice unhelpful thought patterns and try small behavior changes that improve daily functioning. CBT often focuses on practical exercises, homework, and skill practice that can be done between sessions. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy is another approach she uses to help clients clarify their values, accept difficult emotions, and commit to meaningful action. ACT includes mindfulness practices that teach people to notice thoughts without getting stuck in them.

Choosing the right approach is part of therapy. Mary works collaboratively to match methods to each person’s needs and goals. She listens to preferences and adjusts techniques over time so therapy feels useful and relevant.

Online sessions offer flexible ways to work together. Video calls allow face-to-face conversation and visual cues, while phone sessions can fit into a quick break or be easier when bandwidth is limited. Live chat and text-based messaging are useful for short check-ins, homework support, or when writing feels more comfortable. These options make it easier to keep therapy consistent around work, caregiving, or travel.