Mary Hargarten, LCSW, LMFT

Mary Hargarten is a licensed clinician practicing in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, with 25 years of experience working with individuals, couples, and families. She holds both LCSW (Licensed Clinical Social Worker) and LMFT (Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist) credentials, indicating training and licensure to provide clinical social work and marriage and family therapy services. Mary has provided therapy in person and online, bringing long-term clinical experience to a wide range of concerns.

Her work addresses anxiety, depression, panic attacks, relationship and family issues, domestic violence, self-esteem concerns, sexual abuse, women’s issues, aging, and challenges that emerge at different life stages. Mary emphasizes helping people tap into the internal resources they already possess and strengthening practical coping skills so daily life feels more manageable. She also pays attention to how family of origin shapes beliefs and behaviors and helps clients explore which inherited patterns are helpful and which might be changed.

Mary describes her style as warm, caring, non-judgmental, and compassionate, and she brings a sense of humor to the therapeutic process. She aims to understand each person’s perspective by stepping into their shoes while collaborating on strategies for change. In this partnership the client is the expert on their life and Mary provides therapeutic knowledge and tools to reach the goals the client sets.

She uses a blend of approaches tailored to each person, including cognitive-behavioral tools, solution-focused strategies, motivational techniques, acceptance and commitment methods, and family-systems ideas. Mary values the resilience of the human spirit and looks forward to supporting clients as they work toward meaningful change.

Practical Therapeutic Approaches for Online Care

Mary draws on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) to help people notice what matters most to them, accept difficult feelings that cannot be changed immediately, and commit to actions that align with their values. ACT can be useful for managing anxiety, life transitions, and patterns that hold people back.

She also uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) to explore how thoughts, feelings, and behaviors interact. CBT offers concrete tools to identify unhelpful thinking patterns and develop alternative ways of responding, which can help with depression, panic, and stress-related issues.

Client-centered methods guide the therapeutic relationship so the client’s perspective and goals shape the work. This approach emphasizes empathy, validation, and collaboration to help build self-awareness and personal agency.

Finding the right combination of approaches is part of the therapeutic process. Mary works collaboratively with each person to determine which methods fit their needs, goals, and preferences, adjusting the plan as progress is made.

Online therapy with Mary is offered by video call, phone session, live chat, or text-based messaging to provide flexibility for different schedules and comfort levels. These options make it easier to access licensed professionals from home or elsewhere, reducing travel time and allowing consistent care across life changes.