Mary Kirkman, LISW

Mary Kirkman is a licensed independent social worker with 27 years of clinical experience in Ohio. She focuses on helping people facing stress, anxiety, depression, addictions, and major life changes. Her work is practical and focused on real problems people bring into sessions. Her style is warm and collaborative. She listens carefully and helps each person set clear, achievable goals. Sessions often include talking through feelings, identifying unhelpful thinking, and practicing small changes that make daily life easier. Mary uses cognitive behavioral therapy along with client-centered and mindfulness approaches. That means she helps people notice patterns in thinking and behavior, reflects their experience with empathy, and teaches simple mindfulness skills to manage strong emotions. She also draws on motivational interviewing and solution-focused methods to support people who want to make changes and to build on what already works. These approaches are useful for challenges like substance use, relationship strain, workplace stress, and parenting pressures. Mary has particular experience helping caregivers, women, and people navigating divorce, blended family issues, or changes at work. She pays attention to mood disorders, panic, seasonal affective concerns, and problems tied to family of origin. Her sessions aim to be clear and practical. People leave with tools they can use between visits and a plan for the next steps. Mary offers support for both short-term problem solving and longer-term personal growth.

Approaches that guide online sessions

Mary commonly uses cognitive behavioral therapy to help people notice how thoughts affect feelings and behavior, and then practice different responses. CBT is often useful for anxiety, depression, panic, and mood problems because it focuses on clear steps and exercises.

She also draws on client-centered therapy, which emphasizes listening, empathy, and working at the client’s pace. This approach helps people feel heard while they explore difficult emotions and relationships.

Finding the right approach is part of the work together. Mary will discuss goals and preferences and adjust methods so they fit each person’s needs. That collaborative process helps decide whether to focus on skills practice, mindful awareness, motivation to change, or short-term solutions.

Online formats include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging. Video is helpful for a fuller conversational session, phone can be a simpler option with lower bandwidth, live chat works for brief check-ins, and messaging is useful for short updates and coaching between sessions. These options make scheduling easier and let people use the format that fits their day-to-day life.