Mary Brahm, LCPC

Illinois · 35 years in practice

Mary Brahm is a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LCPC) with 35 years of experience.

License and registration

LCPC, Illinois: 180006589 · expires March 2027
NPI: 1942235395 · national provider identifier
Years in practice: 35
Languages: English

Details are as listed on the therapist's public professional profile. You can check the license with the issuing state board, and the NPI with the national registry.

About Mary

Mary Brahm is a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LCPC) with 35 years of experience. She blends practical strategies with a straightforward style to help people manage addiction, mood disorders, trauma, and life changes. Mary draws on therapies such as EMDR, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, and cognitive-behavioral techniques to guide work in sessions.

Clients typically find clear, direct guidance and help setting realistic goals. Mary focuses on building trust first, then on skills people can use between sessions.

Background and approach

She emphasizes both coping tools and understanding patterns that keep problems going. Her background includes long experience in behavioral health and substance use treatment. She has worked with military personnel and civilian staff and lived in several countries, which shaped her flexible approach.

That experience supports work around trauma, first responder issues, veteran and armed forces concerns, and multicultural challenges. Mary helps people facing grief, relationship struggles, intimacy issues, parenting stress, and career transitions. She also addresses process and substance addictions, codependency, family of origin problems, and compassion fatigue.

Sessions aim to reduce distress and improve everyday functioning. In practice she uses client-centered conversations alongside structured techniques from CBT and ACT. EMDR is part of her toolkit for trauma work.

Sessions are collaborative and practical - focusing on manageable steps, clearer choices, and rebuilding a sense of purpose.

Focus areas and approaches

Everything Mary lists on their public professional profile, in their own terms.

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 Mary names

Naming an approach is not evidence of training in it. This directory copies what each therapist lists and does not check training records.

Online support

Using EMDR, ACT, and CBT in online care

EMDR helps process troubling memories and reduce their intensity by guiding attention while talking through past experiences; it is often used for trauma-related symptoms. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) focuses on noticing thoughts and values-based action, helping people move toward what matters despite hard feelings. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) looks at unhelpful thinking patterns and teaches concrete skills to change behaviors and reduce symptoms.

Choosing the right approach is a team effort. The therapist will discuss your goals, preferences, and what you’ve tried before, then suggest options to try together. Treatment can blend methods and shift over time based on what works for mood, trauma recovery, addiction recovery, or relationship concerns.

Online sessions are offered as video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging to make therapy fit into daily life. Video is useful for full conversations and visual cues, phone calls work when internet bandwidth is limited, live chat and messaging suit quick check-ins or brief skill practice. These options let people maintain continuity of care, fit sessions around work or caregiving, and keep momentum between meetings.

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Questions people ask

What concerns does Mary help with?

She works with addictions, depression, bipolar disorder, trauma and abuse, grief, relationship and intimacy issues, parenting stress, career concerns, and compassion fatigue among other issues.

What is her approach to therapy?

Her style mixes client-centered conversation with practical methods like Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and cognitive behavioral techniques, plus EMDR for trauma work.

How much experience does she have?

She has 35 years of clinical experience in behavioral health and substance use treatment, including work with military and first responder populations.

What credentials and location apply?

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

Which languages are supported and can international clients work together?

Sessions are offered in English. She does not accept international clients at this time.

What session formats are available?

Sessions can be done by video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging to fit different needs and schedules.

How is cost handled?

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

How do I begin working together?

Click the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and then schedule sessions according to the therapist's availability.

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