Mary Brahm , LCPC

Mary Brahm is a seasoned licensed counselor with decades of experience supporting people through addiction, trauma, relationship struggles, grief, mood disorders, and major life transitions. With a background that includes extensive work in behavioral health and substance use treatment, she blends practical strategies with a human-centered approach to help clients build skills for internal and external fulfillment. She has worked with diverse populations around the world, and that global experience shaped a flexible, adaptable style that emphasizes meeting people where they are while encouraging growth.

As a Marine Corps veteran with 20 years of service, Mary brings particular insight into military culture and the challenges faced by servicemembers, veterans, and their families. Half of her career has focused on working with this population in clinical and community settings, including roles as a senior therapist and civilian counselor. She aims to establish trust early and believes meaningful change results from a mix of effort and moments of relief.

Mary holds a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor credential in Illinois - a license that authorizes clinical counseling practice - and she also holds credentials and certifications relevant to addiction treatment, telehealth, hypnotherapy, life coaching, and neuro-linguistic programming. Her practice addresses dual diagnosis, chronic relapse, process addictions, codependency, grief, compassion fatigue, parenting and career concerns, multicultural issues, and more. She provides individual, couple, family, and group interventions using evidence-informed methods that combine empathic presence with goal-oriented techniques.

Mary emphasizes integrated care that considers psychological, social, and physical factors and draws on treatments suited to trauma, mood disorders, substance misuse, and complex life challenges. She offers flexible modes of working and collaborative treatment planning to help clients identify priorities, develop coping skills, and pursue lasting recovery and personal growth.

Approach to Evidence-Informed Therapy and Online Care

Mary Brahm draws from several established therapeutic approaches to tailor care to each person's needs. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy - ACT - helps people clarify what matters most to them and build actions that align with their values while learning to live with difficult thoughts and feelings; it can be useful for anxiety, depression, and life transitions. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy - CBT - focuses on identifying and changing unhelpful thinking and behavior patterns, offering practical tools for mood disorders, addiction triggers, and relationship problems. Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing - EMDR - is a trauma-focused method that addresses distressing memories and symptoms through a structured process often used for post-traumatic stress and complex trauma.

Choosing the right approach is part of the work. Mary collaborates with each person to assess needs, goals, and preferences and may combine elements from different methods to create a treatment plan that fits the individual. That collaborative process helps identify which strategies are most likely to support recovery and lasting change.

Online therapy with Mary is offered through video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging to provide flexibility for busy schedules, geographic limitations, and varying comfort levels with remote care. These options make it easier to maintain continuity of care, fit sessions into daily life, and access licensed professionals from a range of locations.