Mary Van Hooser

Mary Van Hooser, LISW, helps people who feel overwhelmed, discouraged, or traumatized find steady support and practical coping skills. She has 35 years of social work experience in mental health and aims to make conversations about distress feel less stigmatizing and more hopeful.

She listens at each person’s pace and focuses on what helps them feel calmer and more in control. Sessions emphasize talking through current challenges, learning specific coping techniques, and finding small ways to manage stress and anger. Her style is patient and nonjudgmental.

Mary draws on both professional and lived experience. She has supported people facing severe mental illness and substance use in their lives and understands how stigma and family strain can affect recovery. She is also a veteran and is familiar with aspects of veteran culture.

Her practice combines client-centered conversations with practical skills work. That can include identifying unhelpful thought patterns, practicing emotion regulation strategies, and building routines that reduce impulsivity and isolation. She encourages steady progress rather than quick fixes.

Mary describes herself as calm and transparent in sessions. She aims to create an environment where people feel comfortable sharing hard things and trying new approaches. If you want a steady, experienced professional to help with anger, grief, addiction, or mood struggles, she may be a good fit.

How her approaches translate to online care

Client-Centered Therapy focuses on listening and following what feels important to the person. It helps people who need a trusting space to talk through difficult feelings and to decide their own goals. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, looks at how thoughts, feelings, and actions connect and teaches practical ways to change unhelpful patterns. It is useful for anxiety, depression, anger, and mood problems. Dialectical Behavior Therapy, or DBT, emphasizes emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and interpersonal effectiveness skills for people who struggle with strong impulses and intense emotions.

Finding the right approach is part of the work. Mary will collaborate with each person to pick methods that match their goals, needs, and preferences. That means trying things out and adjusting plans over time rather than committing to a single method at the start.

The biography does not specify which online session types are offered, so confirm the current session options before booking. Online sessions can make it easier to fit therapy into a busy life, reduce travel time, allow shorter check-ins when needed, or let someone avoid being on camera if they prefer. Licensed professionals can use these formats to teach skills, practice coping techniques, and maintain steady support between in-person appointments.