Mary Messerschmidt, LCSW
Licensed in Virginia · 25 years in practice
Mary Messerschmidt is a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) in Virginia with 25 years of experience.
License and registration
- LCSW, Virginia
- 0904004851 · expires June 2026
- NPI
- 1598871113 · national provider identifier
- Years in practice
- 25
- Languages
- English
Details are as listed on the therapist's public professional profile. You can check any license with the state board and any NPI with the national registry.
About Mary
Mary Messerschmidt is a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) in Virginia with 25 years of experience. She helps people facing anxiety, depression, relationship and intimacy issues, grief, addiction, parenting stress, and work or life transitions. She also supports people navigating bipolar disorder, ADHD, compassion fatigue, and trauma-related concerns.
Mary focuses on building a straightforward, respectful relationship. She listens without relying on labels. Sessions emphasize practical steps people can try between meetings.
Background and approach
She also offers life coaching alongside therapy when clients want a more goal-focused plan. Her approach blends several evidence-informed methods to fit each person. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy helps people identify unhelpful thoughts and try new behaviors.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy adds skills for managing intense emotions and improving relationships. Attachment-Based ideas guide work on patterns that affect trust and closeness. Mary keeps language simple and concrete in session.
She helps clients set small, achievable goals and practices skills together. She also supports people dealing with complex histories such as adoption, attachment wounds, or substance use challenges. People who choose her can expect collaborative planning, gentle challenge when needed, and tools to cope during hard moments.
She works with adults seeking change, whether the goal is symptom relief, improved relationships, or clearer direction in life.
Focus areas and approaches
Everything Mary lists on their public professional profile, in their own terms.
- Addictions
- Relationship issues
- Intimacy-related issues
- Self esteem
- Bipolar disorder
- Stress, Anxiety
- LGBT
- Family conflicts
- Trauma and abuse
- Grief
- Parenting issues
- Anger management
- Career difficulties
- Depression
- Coping with life changes
- Coaching
- Compassion fatigue
- ADHD
- Abandonment
- Adoption and foster care
- Attachment issues
- Autism and Asperger Syndrome
- Avoidant personality
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Codependency
- Commitment issues
- Control issues
- Coping with natural or human-caused disaster
- Dependent personality
- Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMDD)
- Divorce and separation
- Domestic violence
- Drug and alcohol addiction
- Eating and food-related issues
- Emptiness
- Family of origin issues
- Family problems
- Fatherhood issues
- Fertility issues
- First responder issues
- Forgiveness
- Guilt and shame
- HIV / AIDS
- Impulsivity
- Infidelity
- Intellectual disability
- Isolation / loneliness
- Jealousy
- Life purpose
- Men's issues
- Midlife crisis
- Mood disorders
- Multicultural concerns
- Narcissism
- Obsessions, compulsions, and OCD
- Paranoia
- Personality disorders
- Postpartum depression
- Process addiction (porn, exercise, gambling)
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Self-love
- Sex addiction
- Sexual assault and abuse
- Sexuality
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Trichotillomania
- Women's issues
- Workplace issues
- Young adult issues
Approaches Mary names
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
- Attachment-Based Therapy
- Client-Centered Therapy
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
- Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT)
- Existential Therapy
- Imago Relationship Therapy
- Motivational Interviewing
- Narrative Therapy
- Psychodynamic Therapy
- Solution-Focused Therapy
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
How Mary blends approaches for online care
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) focuses on clarifying personal values and taking small actions that match those values, which can help with stress, anxiety, and life transitions. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) looks at the link between thoughts, feelings, and behaviors and teaches practical techniques to change patterns that keep problems going. Attachment-Based Therapy pays attention to how early relationship patterns shape current trust, closeness, and conflict, and is useful for intimacy and relationship work.Choosing the right approach is part of the work together. Mary treats that choice as collaborative - she will talk with each person about goals, try strategies, and adjust the plan based on what helps most. The aim is to find a mix of methods that fits the client’s needs and preferences.
Online formats include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging to make therapy more flexible. Video calls let people meet face to face when a visual connection matters. Phone sessions use less bandwidth and can fit a break at work. Live chat and text messaging allow shorter check-ins and ongoing support between sessions. These options help people fit therapy into real life while working on values, skills, and relationship patterns.
We will earn a commission if you sign up through our link, at no cost to you. It does not change what you pay or the order of the listings.
Questions people ask
What concerns does Mary commonly address?
She works with anxiety, depression, trauma, relationship and intimacy issues, addiction, grief, parenting stress, bipolar disorder, ADHD, and related challenges.
How would you describe her therapeutic style?
She uses a warm, respectful approach and focuses on practical steps. Sessions emphasize listening, skill practice, and collaborative goal setting.
How much clinical experience does she have?
Mary has 25 years of professional experience working in therapy and counseling roles.
What credentials and region are associated with this therapist?
She is a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) licensed in Virginia and practices in that state.
Which languages are used in sessions and are international clients accepted?
Sessions are offered in English. International clients are not currently accepted.
What session formats are available for online work?
Mary offers video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging to suit different needs and schedules.
How is cost handled for therapy with her?
Cost varies by location and therapist availability; sessions use a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.
What are the first steps to start working together?
Click the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule sessions according to the therapist's availability.
More therapists in Virginia
See all
Dr. Kayla Thorne
LCSW
Supportive LCSW focused on practical change
- Stress, Anxiety
- Trauma and abuse
- Self esteem
Delores Smith
LCSW
Compassionate practical therapy for life changes
- Stress, Anxiety
- Relationship
- Grief
Is this your profile?
Ask us to correct details or take the page down.
Contact us