Mary Hargarten , LCSW, LMFT

Mary Hargarten is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) and a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin with 25 years of clinical experience. She has worked with individuals, couples, and families both in person and online, offering support for anxiety, depression, panic attacks, relationship and family challenges, domestic violence, self-esteem concerns, sexual abuse, women's issues, aging, and life-stage transitions.

She approaches therapy from the belief that people already possess many of the resources needed to manage life’s difficulties and that therapy can help uncover and strengthen those capacities. Exploring family of origin influences is often part of her work, helping clients see how early patterns may affect current choices and relationships. Her aim is to address the whole person - physical, emotional, intellectual, social, and spiritual - to promote better balance across daily life.

Mary’s style is warm, caring, non-judgmental, and compassionate, and she brings a sense of humor to the work. She strives to empathize with each person’s experience while collaborating on practical strategies. She combines therapeutic methods such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Solution-Focused approaches, Motivational Interviewing, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Mindfulness techniques, and Bowen Family Systems ideas to tailor care to each situation.

She values the strength of the human spirit and finds meaning in helping people take courageous steps toward the changes they want in their lives.

Therapeutic approaches for online care

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps people clarify their values and take committed action toward the life they want, while learning to accept thoughts and feelings that cannot be changed. It is useful for stress, anxiety, depression, and navigating difficult life transitions. Client-Centered Therapy focuses on creating an empathetic, non-judgmental space in which the person is treated as the expert on their own experience; through this supportive stance clients explore their feelings and build self-understanding, which can aid relationships and self-esteem. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) examines the links among thoughts, feelings, and behaviors and offers practical strategies to shift unhelpful patterns; CBT is commonly used for anxiety, panic, mood concerns, and coping skills development.

Finding the right approach is part of the therapeutic process. Mary works collaboratively with each person to identify which methods fit their needs, goals, and preferences, and she adapts techniques over time so the work stays relevant and effective.

Online therapy offers flexibility and accessibility through video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging. These options make it easier to schedule consistent sessions from home or during busy days, support different communication preferences, and allow continued progress even when in-person meetings are not possible. Licensed professionals can use these formats to deliver meaningful, skill-based care tailored to each client.