- 35 years experience
- Relational approach
- Sleep and rest focus
About Mary
Mary Blankenburg is a licensed independent social worker (LISW) with 35 years of clinical experience. She follows a relational style and focuses on building a strong therapeutic connection before moving into skills and memory work. Her approach is gentle and grounded in everyday communication.
Mary has worked in community mental health, adolescent services, and private practice. She brings long experience helping people with depression, anxiety, trauma and abuse, grief, addictions, and sleep problems among other concerns. She pays attention to how past relationships shape present reactions and helps people notice bodily cues that show up in stress.
In sessions she uses tools from cognitive behavioral work and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy to reshape unhelpful thinking and clarify values. Attachment-based ideas guide how she talks about close relationships and the ways attachment patterns affect trust and safety. Dialectical behavior ideas are used when emotion regulation skills can help reduce overwhelm.
Her work often includes simple body-focused techniques to help people notice tension and calm their nervous systems. Mary emphasizes small, doable steps rather than quick fixes. She also supports clients dealing with identity, intimacy, and career concerns while addressing co-occurring challenges like ADHD and chronic illness.
Mary describes therapy as steady, collaborative work. She helps people learn to be kinder to themselves and to manage symptoms over time. Prospective clients should confirm current session options before scheduling.
Therapeutic approaches and how they work online
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps people clarify what matters to them and take small, values-driven steps. It’s useful for anxiety, depression, and navigating life transitions by focusing on actions rather than getting stuck in thoughts. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) looks at the links between thoughts, feelings, and behaviors and teaches concrete strategies to change unhelpful patterns, which helps with panic, depression, and sleep difficulties. Attachment-Based Therapy examines how early relationships shape current patterns of closeness and trust and supports rewriting those patterns through new therapeutic experiences.Choosing the right approach is part of therapy. The therapist works together with each person to see which methods fit their needs, goals, and preferences. That collaborative process can include trying different techniques and adjusting as progress is made.
Confirm current session formats before booking, since the biography does not list them. Online therapy can make it easier to fit sessions into a busy week, reduce travel time, and allow shorter check-ins when schedules are tight. It also makes it possible to continue work on sleep, emotion regulation, and relationship patterns from wherever a person is based in Iowa. Licensed professionals can adapt ACT and CBT tools for remote sessions so skills practice and reflective conversation still move the work forward.
Areas of expertise
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
35+ years
Credentials
Iowa
Languages
English
Frequently asked questions
What kinds of problems does Mary help with?
She works with stress, anxiety, depression, trauma and abuse, grief, sleep problems, addictions, relationship and intimacy-related issues, and related concerns such as ADHD and chronic illness.
How would you describe her therapeutic style?
Her style is relational and collaborative, emphasizing a strong therapeutic connection, clear communication, and practical skills work from approaches like CBT and ACT.
What is her clinical background?
Mary has 35 years of experience across community mental health, adolescent services, and private practice settings, working in individual, couples, family, and group contexts.
What credentials and location are listed?
She holds an LISW credential and practices in Iowa.
Which languages and international options are available?
Sessions are offered in English and she is not accepting international clients at this time.
What session formats are offered?
Confirm current session options before booking, as the biography does not specify which formats are used.
How much does therapy cost?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability; sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
How do I begin working with her?
Use the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule according to therapist availability.