I’m deeply committed to supporting individuals in building a foundation of self-compassion, which is essential for meaningful, sustained change and mental and emotional well-being. That’s true whether you show up to individual therapy, couples therapy, or family therapy.
About Mary Kate Murray
Self-compassion runs deeper than self-esteem. It acknowledges that our actions, however imperfect, arise from attempts to manage anxiety or meet unmet needs. By learning to recognize the needs beneath our behaviors and cultivating a genuine, felt sense of self-compassion, we can open the door to greater ease and satisfaction.
I work with adults, children, and adolescents, alike, helping to increase ease in your lives and your family systems. This can take shape as either individuals, couples, or family therapy, providing evidence-based clinical interventions that stem from understanding mental, emotional, and neurobiological impact of the relational systems people grew up in and live in. I value building alliances with clients and clinical teams to support my clients’ personal growth, reduce suffering, and increase awareness and health of the family system and its individual members.
My treatment plans are emergent and are always going to be tailored to how you show up in the therapy relationship. I will absolutely meet you where you are and recognize the strengths that have kept you going and creating.
Education and Experience as a Therapist
I graduated from St. Mary’s College of Maryland with my BA in psychology in 1989, knowing that eventually I wanted to become a therapist. After 30 years as a teacher, trainer, and corporate process facilitator, I got my master’s in counseling psychology at California Southern University in 2022 and became a Marriage and Family Therapist. I like to say that it’s “what I always wanted to be when I grew up.”
I’ve had the fantastic opportunity to work in both wonderful group practices and at an intensive outpatient treatment center for addiction and co-occurring mental health disorders, working with families and patients in recovery.
I use modalities that are based in relational attachment strategies, neurobiology, family system of origin, and are trauma sensitive and informed. Some modalities I use are Internal Family Systems, Emotion Focused Therapy, systemic therapy, and somatic and nervous system specific techniques.
Therapy Services and Expertise
Types of Therapy Provided:
Areas of Focus
- Trauma
- Relationship and Familial Conflicts
- Chronic/Childhood PTSD
- Family of Origin Wounds
- Substance Use and Addiction
- Self-Compassion
- Self-Esteem
- Anxiety
- Depression
Get to Know Therapist Mary Kate Murray
Meet Mary Kate in this Short Video!
Outside of the Therapy Room
When I am not working, I am spending time with my husband, daughters, son-in-law, granddaughters, friends, and our dog Artemis Bader Ginsberg Couch.
I love DIY crafting, decorating for the holidays, all things self-care and pampering, the ocean, rest, swimming, stretching, audiobooks, reels, and my favorite album of the past few years is Lemonade. IFYKY.