Therapist profile
Mary Hargarten, LCSW, LMFT
Licensed clinician - Family and relationship concerns
Continue with MaryAbout
- ACT and CBT
- Mindfulness practice
- Solution-focused goals
About Mary
Mary Hargarten is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) and a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) practicing in Wisconsin with 25 years of experience. She has worked face-to-face and online and has helped people with anxiety, depression, panic attacks, relationship strain, family problems, domestic violence, self-esteem concerns, sexual abuse recovery, aging, and life-stage transitions.
Mary uses practical therapy methods to help people identify what is getting in the way of daily functioning. She helps people notice unhelpful thoughts and habits, set clear goals, and build manageable skills they can use between sessions. Sessions are focused and down-to-earth, with an emphasis on usable strategies rather than jargon.
She pays attention to how a person’s family of origin shapes beliefs and patterns. That context often guides work on communication problems, forgiveness, guilt and shame, and relationship difficulties. Mary also supports people facing parenting strains, caregiver stress, grief, and postpartum challenges.
Her approach draws on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Client-Centered techniques, Motivational Interviewing, Solution-Focused methods, and mindfulness practice. Those tools are used to address mood disorders, panic, bipolar concerns, and intimacy-related issues in concrete ways.
Mary describes therapy as a collaborative process: the person brings knowledge of their life and she offers therapeutic strategies. She favors brief, goal-directed work when that fits, and also deeper exploration when needed. Practical skill-building and clearer decision-making are central to her sessions.
How sessions work
How Mary blends ACT, CBT and mindfulness in online work
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps people notice painful thoughts and feelings without getting stuck in them, so they can act in ways that match their values. It can be useful for anxiety, low mood, or coping with life changes.Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) looks at the connections between thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. It is often used to reduce panic, manage depressive thinking, and change unhelpful habits through specific exercises and homework.
Mindfulness practice is taught as a simple skill to reduce reactivity and improve focus. Short mindfulness exercises are used in-session and recommended between sessions to help with stress, anger, and emotional regulation.
Mary approaches finding the right method as a collaborative process. She will work with the person to decide which combination of ACT, CBT, mindfulness, motivational interviewing, or solution-focused work fits their goals and daily life. The plan can shift as needs change.
The biography notes experience with online and in-person therapy, but does not list the exact session formats supported here. Confirm current session options before booking. Online work can make it easier to fit therapy into a busy schedule, allow shorter check-ins when needed, and reduce travel time so sessions are more practical during work or caregiving days.
Areas of focus
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
25+ years
Listed in
Wisconsin
Languages
English
Questions
Frequently asked questions
What kinds of problems does she address?
She works with stress, anxiety, depression, panic attacks, relationship and family issues, parenting strain, grief, trauma and abuse, intimacy-related concerns, and mood concerns such as bipolar and postpartum depression.
What is her therapeutic style like?
She combines Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, client-centered work, motivational interviewing and solution-focused techniques to build practical skills and set clear goals.
How much experience does she have?
She has 25 years of clinical experience working with individuals, couples, and families in person and online.
What are her credentials and where is she based?
She is an LCSW and an LMFT licensed in Wisconsin and practices from that state.
Does she offer sessions in other languages?
Sessions are offered in English.
What session formats does she provide?
Please confirm current session options before booking, as the biography describes both in-person and online work historically but does not list the specific formats offered here.
How does payment or cost work?
Cost varies with location and sessions use a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.
How do I begin working with her?
Select the See online therapy options button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule a first session.
Details come from information the therapist supplied to BetterHelp. A license can be checked with the state board.
Online talk therapy is not emergency care. If anyone is in danger, use the crisis numbers.