Mary Brahm, LCPC

Illinois | Online sessions in Illinois | English | Book with Mary »

Practical, narrative-informed counseling for life changes

Details

Name	Mary Brahm
Credentials	LCPC
Based in	Illinois
Licensed in	Illinois
Session format	Online
Languages	English
Years in practice	35

About Mary

Mary Brahm is a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor with 35 years of experience. She practices from a narrative-informed perspective and aims to help people untangle difficult problems so they can move forward. Mary is direct and practical in sessions, with an emphasis on building trust and working toward real change.

She has long experience addressing addictions, mood disorders such as bipolar and depression, and reactions to trauma and loss. Mary also helps people with relationship strain, intimacy concerns, parenting stress, career shifts, and coping with major life changes.

Background and approach

Many clients come for help with low self-esteem, codependency, grief, and process addictions such as gambling or problematic pornography use. Mary’s background includes years working in behavioral health and substance use treatment. She spent a large portion of her career supporting military and veteran populations and has lived and worked with diverse cultural groups.

Those experiences shaped her flexible style and her belief that people benefit from practical, tailored approaches. In sessions she draws on Narrative Therapy alongside acceptance and cognitive-behavioral ideas to look at unhelpful stories and habits. Her work is conversational and goal-oriented; she helps people spot patterns, try different actions, and notice what changes.

Mary combines a straightforward stance with empathy to support growth. She holds an Illinois LCPC credential. Sessions are offered in English and available through video calls, phone, live chat, and text messaging.

To begin, a short matching questionnaire is completed and a session is scheduled based on availability.

What this therapist works with

Her listing names Addictions, Self esteem, Bipolar disorder among the things Mary works with, alongside the areas below.

Addictions
Self esteem
Bipolar disorder
Depression
Coping with life changes
Relationship issues
Trauma and abuse
Grief
Intimacy-related issues
Parenting issues
Career difficulties
Compassion fatigue
Co-morbidity
Codependency
Communication problems
Drug and alcohol addiction
Emptiness
Family of origin issues
First responder issues
Forgiveness
Hospice and end-of-life counseling
Life purpose
Midlife crisis
Veteran and Armed Forces Issues
Multicultural concerns
Prejudice and discrimination
Process addiction (porn, exercise, gambling)
Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
Sex addiction
Sexual assault and abuse
Young adult issues

Approaches listed

Narrative Therapy: Named in her listing among her approaches.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT): Listed by Mary among the ways she works.
Client-Centered Therapy: Listed by Mary among the ways she works.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): Listed by Mary among the ways she works.
Existential Therapy: Listed by Mary among the ways she works.
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR): Listed by Mary among the ways she works.
Mindfulness Therapy: Listed by Mary among the ways she works.
Motivational Interviewing: Listed by Mary among the ways she works.
Psychodynamic Therapy: Listed by Mary among the ways she works.
Solution-Focused Therapy: Listed by Mary among the ways she works.
Trauma-Focused Therapy: Listed by Mary among the ways she works.
Training stated: This directory copies the approaches a therapist names and does not check training records. Ask Mary directly how much of the work is narrative and what a session usually looks like.

Narrative Therapy in this listing

Narrative Therapy appears in this therapist's own list of approaches. That tells you it is part of how she works. It does not tell you how much of a session it shapes, and this directory does not check or rate training.

If a narrative approach is what you are looking for, it is worth asking Mary directly how she uses it and what a session usually looks like.

Online session options

How narrative and acceptance approaches work online

Mary blends Narrative Therapy with Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and client-centered ideas to guide online work. Narrative Therapy looks at the stories people tell about themselves and their problems, helping them separate identity from difficult experiences. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) focuses on clarifying values and taking actions that matter, even when hard feelings remain. Client-centered methods prioritize a warm, respectful connection so people feel heard and can explore change at their own pace.

Choosing the right approach is a team effort. Mary will talk with each person about goals, preferences, and what has or hasn't helped before. Together they decide which methods to use and adjust the plan as progress is made, keeping sessions practical and focused on everyday steps.

Online sessions are offered as video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text messaging to fit different schedules. Video is useful for in-depth conversations and visual cues, phone works well when bandwidth is limited, live chat can be a quick check-in, and text messaging supports brief reflections between meetings. These options make it easier to keep therapy going around work, caregiving, or travel.

Common questions about this listing

What kinds of concerns does Mary work with?

She helps people with addictions, mood conditions like bipolar and depression, trauma and grief, relationship and intimacy issues, parenting strain, career changes, and related concerns such as codependency and process addictions.

How would you describe her therapeutic style?

Her style is narrative-informed, straightforward, and practical. Sessions focus on identifying unhelpful stories and trying concrete changes to improve daily life.

What is her professional background?

Mary has 35 years of experience in behavioral health and substance use treatment, including extensive work with military and veteran populations and diverse cultural groups.

What credentials and location are on file?

She holds an Illinois Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor credential (LCPC) and practices from Illinois.

Which languages and international arrangements are supported?

Sessions are offered in English. She is not accepting international clients at this time.

What session formats are available online?

Mary offers video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging to fit different needs and schedules.

How does payment and cost work?

Cost varies with location and therapist availability; sessions use a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.

How do I begin working with her?

Start by selecting the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and then schedule sessions according to therapist availability.

Contacting this therapist

Sessions with Mary are arranged through our partner platform. It asks a few questions about what you are looking for, then shows you the therapists available to you, including Mary where she has space. Ask about fees, and whether she holds a licence or registration where you live.

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