Mary Gales-Wenz , LICSW

Mary Gales-Wenz is a Licensed Independent Social Worker (LICSW) based in Minnesota with 40 years of experience in behavioral health. After earning a Master’s Degree in Social Work she spent two decades providing both outpatient and inpatient services for the Department of Veterans Affairs at the St. Cloud and Minneapolis hospitals, developing deep experience with veterans and complex care settings.

Her career has since included roles at Hazelden Center for Youth and Families, Allina Behavioral Health Clinics, Central Minnesota Mental Health Clinics, clinical supervision of residential treatment for the Department of Corrections, behavioral healthcare management for a local Minnesota insurance company, and a private practice maintained since 2009. Over the years she has worked with adolescents, adults, and seniors in chemical dependency and mental health treatment programs, addressing post-traumatic stress, anxiety, sexual and physical trauma, depression, and related concerns.

Mary stays current with new research and treatment approaches and has a particular interest in the mind-body connection and therapies that help clients better understand it. She is trained in Accelerated Resolution Therapy, a method designed to help people process the full emotional and cognitive aspects of difficult experiences. Mary integrates client-centered work with approaches such as cognitive behavioral therapy and dialectical behavior therapy to tailor care to each person’s needs.

Therapeutic approaches and online care with Mary Gales-Wenz

Mary typically uses client-centered therapy to create a respectful, collaborative space where the client’s perspective guides the process. This approach emphasizes empathy, active listening, and building a trusting relationship to support changes in thinking and behavior.

She also applies cognitive behavioral therapy, which helps people identify and change unhelpful thought patterns and behaviors to reduce symptoms of anxiety, depression, and stress. Dialectical behavior therapy techniques are used when clients need practical skills for managing intense emotions, reducing harmful behaviors, and improving relationships.

Choosing the best approach is part of the work. Mary partners with each client to assess needs, goals, and preferences and to adapt methods over time so that therapy fits the individual. Licensed professionals and therapists often combine techniques to match the situation and the person’s readiness for change.

Online therapy with Mary is offered through video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging to increase flexibility. These options make it easier to fit sessions into busy lives, access support from home, and continue care when in-person meetings are difficult, while still working with an experienced clinician.