Mary Ann Skender, LICSW

Mary Ann Skender is a Washington-based licensed clinical social worker (LICSW) with 16 years of experience. She focuses on helping people who are trying to manage stress, anxiety, addictions, and relationship or family concerns. Her work also covers grief, trauma and abuse, parenting strain, and career or life transitions.

Mary Ann aims to create a calm, nonjudgmental atmosphere where people can talk through what feels overwhelming. She listens for each person's priorities and helps set small, practical steps. Sessions often focus on building everyday coping skills and clearer communication with others.

Her approach draws on client-centered work and cognitive behavior ideas to link thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Mindfulness techniques are used to help people notice patterns and reduce reactivity. Motivational interviewing and solution-focused methods support change by identifying strengths and short-term goals.

Mary Ann also offers support around caregiver stress, body image, pregnancy and childbirth concerns, and women's issues. She addresses compassion fatigue and burnout that come from demanding roles. When relevant, she helps people facing divorce, guilt, or questions about life purpose.

People who want straightforward, collaborative therapy tend to do well with her style. She invites clients to try things out and adjust the plan as needed. To begin, clients follow the site's Start Therapy flow and complete a brief matching questionnaire before scheduling.

Approaches that guide online work

Client-centered therapy focuses on listening and understanding a person’s experience. It helps people feel heard and decide what matters most to them before choosing steps forward. Cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT, looks at how thoughts, feelings, and actions connect and teaches practical skills to change unhelpful patterns.

Choosing the right approach is a team effort. Mary Ann will collaborate with each person to match techniques to their goals, needs, and preferences. That may mean combining mindfulness practices, motivational interviewing, and solution-focused steps so the work fits the individual.

Confirm the current session formats before booking so you know what is offered. Online work can make it simpler to fit therapy into busy schedules, reduce travel time, and allow shorter check-ins when needed. It can also make it easier to keep a consistent schedule during life transitions or caregiving demands. Licensed professionals adapt tools like CBT worksheets, mindfulness exercises, and motivational interviewing questions to work well in remote sessions.