01 · Who Mary works with

Mary works with addictions, self esteem and bipolar disorder

Mary lists 12 specialisms and 19 further focus areas. Specialisms are the subjects Mary chose to list first, which is the closest a listing gets to “this is my actual practice”.

02 · In Mary's own words

What Mary says about the work

Reproduced in full and unedited - not summarised, not tightened, not rewritten in a house voice.

ABOUT ME (I've been told that I'm "different" and "straightforward")

Much gratitude from Mary Brahm, for checking out my profile. I am a seasoned Licensed Counselor who has experience in, Behavioral Health, and substance use disorders. My personal and professional experience has blessed me to travel and live around the world. What I quickly learned from the diverse populations I worked with, is that flexibility is the key to change and success. I use an “eclectic “approach, “meeting you where you are at”, while encouraging you to reach your potential. I believe that you are ready to improve the quality of your life, and know, I am here to help increase your desire and skills for internal and external fulfillment. I would be remiss, if I didn’t thank all my clients for teaching me at least one lesson.

Working with servicemen, civilian personnel, retirees, and family members, for half of my career, has given me experience with issues for this special population. As a Marine Corps veteran, I certainly can relate to struggles with veterans. As a Civilian Counselor, I have been successful in Community Mental Health and as a Senior Therapist. I first look to develop trust with those I work with, and I believe that change will take place with both hard work and pleasure.

In addition to being licensed as a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor from Illinois, I am a Licensed Independent Chemical Dependency Counselor with supervisor status and a Licensed Social Worker from Ohio. Post Graduate Relevant Coursework, Marriage, and Family Course Work. My additional interests expanded my knowledge and experience in obtaining the following certifications: Private Practice Certified Life Coach, 2013, Certified Telehealth Therapist 2019, Certified Hypnotherapist 2004, and Neuro-Linguist Programming (NLP) 2013.

SPECIALTIES: Dual Diagnosis Addictions, Substance Use, Chronic Relapse, Recovery After Care with a variety of recovery programs, 12 Step Spirituality Counseling, Co-Dependency Coping with life changes Crisis Management and implemented in High School Shooting in OH Extensive Diversity training and working with cultures from around the world Sexual Assault Counselor, Prevention and Response Program Experience Motivation, Building Self-Esteem

Also experienced in: Providing critical interventions, identifying triggers and intense feelings of personal distress including anxiety, depression, anger, panic and hopelessness or significant life changes for individuals and families. Conducting goal-oriented psychotherapy treatment, assisting both individuals and couples in changing patterns of thinking or behavior that promotes difficulties ranging from relationship problems.

Coordinating and supervise psychotherapeutic interventions, educating clients on supplemental mental health services to improve overall quality of life. Delivered comprehensive therapeutic interventions for a diverse population of clients, utilizing biopsychosocial therapy to support wellness and aid clients in their journey to recovery. Leveraged a keen understanding of psychological, physical health and social effects of mental illness to promote holistic evidence-based practices.

Individual, Adolescents, Adults, Couples, Family, Multi-Family Groups, Severely Mentally Ill, Sex Offender and Group Counseling

Clinical approaches: Authentic and solutions-oriented Counselor with a focus on integrated care and the use of evidence-based treatments to holistically address mental health issues including crisis, trauma, mental health disorders, substance abuse intervention, grief and loss and conflict resolution. Demonstrate a humanistic approach, leveraging experience as a veteran with 20 years of service, to encourage personal development as a way of learning skills and coping abilities needed to deal with life changing events.

Modalities to offer: Video…... Live Chat…... Messaging…... Phone…...

LICENSING: LPC # 1800006589 (Expires 2025-03-12)

Mary Brahm, on the BetterHelp listing · read 9 Oct 2026

03 · How Mary works

The 10 approaches Mary lists, in plain English

These are the clinical methods Mary lists. The descriptions are Maker Therapy's, not Mary's - a general explanation of what each method is, so the list means something before you have spoken to anybody. They are not a claim about how Mary runs a session.

Acceptance and Commitment TherapyACT

Rather than trying to argue a painful thought away, ACT works on loosening its grip and getting on with what matters to you anyway. Sessions spend real time naming your values, then building action around them while difficult feelings are still present.

Client-Centred TherapyPerson-centred · Rogerian

The therapist does not steer toward a technique or a diagnosis. They offer sustained, non-judgemental attention and reflect back what they hear, on the premise that people find their own direction when they are genuinely listened to. Often what people mean by “someone who just gets it”.

Cognitive Behavioural TherapyCBT

Structured, present-focused work on the loop between what you think, how you feel and what you then do. Usually means noticing a thought pattern in the room, testing it against evidence, and practising something different between sessions. Among the most heavily researched talking therapies for depression and anxiety.

Eye Movement Desensitisation and ReprocessingEMDR

A structured trauma protocol in which you hold a distressing memory in mind while following a repeated side-to-side cue. The mechanism is still debated; the outcome data in post-traumatic stress is strong enough that it appears in national treatment guidelines.

Mindfulness-Based TherapyMBCT

Trains attention on what is happening right now - body, breath, the thought as it arrives - so distress can be observed rather than automatically acted on. Strongest evidence is in preventing depression from recurring, and it is usually taught as a practice you keep doing outside the session.

Motivational InterviewingMI

A way of talking about change with somebody who is genuinely in two minds about it. The therapist does not argue for the change; they help you say your own reasons out loud, which is the part that predicts whether it happens. Common around substance use and health behaviour.

Narrative Therapy

Treats the story you tell about your life as something that can be examined and retold rather than as the plain facts. Separates the person from the problem - “the anxiety” rather than “your anxiety” - to make room for the parts the current story leaves out.

Psychodynamic Therapy

Works on the assumption that current patterns - in relationships, at work, in how you treat yourself - have a history, and that seeing the history loosens the pattern. Less structured than CBT, usually longer, and more interested in what comes up unbidden than in a weekly agenda.

Solution-Focused Brief TherapySFBT

Starts from where you want to end up rather than from how you got here. Sessions look for the times the problem is already smaller and work out what is different about those, so the number of sessions tends to be short and the work concrete.

Trauma-Focused TherapyTF-CBT · trauma-informed

CBT adapted for people whose difficulty is rooted in a frightening or overwhelming event. Pacing is the point: safety and stabilisation come first, the memory itself is approached gradually and only when you are ready, and the aim is that recalling it stops hijacking the present.

Also listed

• Existential Therapy

04 · What happens next

From this page to a first session

Mary practises through BetterHelp, so the route in is BetterHelp's. This is that sequence, written by Maker Therapy from the platform's published process - not a description of Mary's own practice, and not a promise about how quickly anything happens.

1. A questionnaire, not a booking form

   BetterHelp opens with a set of questions about what you are dealing with, what you want from therapy, and any preferences on the therapist. You are not booking Mary at this point.

2. Naming Mary specifically

   BetterHelp matches algorithmically by default, so asking for Mary is a step you have to take. There is a field for requesting a specific therapist during sign-up, and you can switch afterwards from your account. Starting from a link on this page does not by itself assign you to Mary.

3. If the caseload is full

   You will be offered somebody else rather than put on a waitlist. Worth knowing, because it is easy to assume a match is the person you asked for.

4. The first conversation

   A first session is typically history and orientation: what brought you, what has been tried, what you want to be different. It is also where the questions in the next section belong.

5. If the fit is wrong

   Changing therapist on BetterHelp does not need a reason. A first session that does not click is common and is not a verdict on therapy. That option existing is the main practical difference between a platform and a private practice.

05 · Before you commit

4 questions worth asking Mary

Built from what Mary actually lists, so they are answerable and specific rather than generic. Maker Therapy's, not Mary's - Mary has not seen them and is under no obligation to answer any of them.

• “You list both Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and Client-Centred Therapy. Which do you lean on with someone like me?”

  Those two point in different directions - one structured and led by the therapist, the other led by you. The answer tells you what the sessions will actually feel like.

• “How do you decide when someone is ready to work on a traumatic memory itself?”

  Pacing is the biggest safety question in trauma work. A clear, unhurried answer here matters more than any credential.

• “With 35 years in, what has changed most in how you work?”

  Long experience is only an advantage if it has been examined. This tends to surface whether it has.

• “How do you handle the gap between sessions if something comes up?”

  On BetterHelp this varies a great deal by therapist. Better to know the rhythm now than to discover it on a bad week.

06 · Practical details

Credentials and licensing

Credential

LCPC

Licensed in

Illinois

Licence

IL LCPC 180006589

Licence number

180006589

Licence expires

31 Mar 2027

NPI

1942235395

Years in practice

35

Gender

Female

Languages

English

International clients

Not accepted

Listed since

9 Jun 2026

07 · Provenance

Where every line on this page came from

Mary's name, credential, state, subjects, approaches and biography are read from BetterHelp's therapist roster, which Maker Therapy re-reads once a day; this page reflects the reading taken on 9 Oct 2026. The licence number and NPI are cross-checked against public registers.

The plain-English method descriptions, the first-session walkthrough and the questions are written by Maker Therapy and labelled as such wherever they appear.

Maker Therapy is not BetterHelp, does not take bookings, and has not met Mary. There are no reviews or ratings on this page because we have no way to verify one. If you start therapy through a link here, we may be paid a commission - it does not change your price and it does not affect who appears here or in what order.

Something on this page wrong or out of date? Report it and it will be checked against the source.