Chances are, you’re probably scared that therapy may not really stick. And whether the fear is about the help “working” for you, or for someone else, that feeling is so normal. Regardless of who invited you into this healing journey, I know that the healing extends way back into the intergenerational patterns that influence you today. I’m here to help make sense of all that; within yourself and within your family. Maybe that means learning about your attachment styles so you can actually enjoy your loved ones. Maybe that means figuring out where you have power to influence change. Or maybe that means figuring out what’s really important so you align your energies with what you value most. No matter what, I’m here to help you create the life that you real want. Fears and frustrations welcomed along the way.
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.
Professional Licensure
Licensed Clinical Marriage and Family Therapist (LCMFT), Maryland
Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT), Virginia
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.
Contact Mary Kate Murray
Email: marykate@mccounselingcenter.com
Blogs and Publications
How Do I Make It Stop? Dealing With Addiction and Upsetting Behaviors in Your Family