Mary Messerschmidt, LCSW
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 the license with the issuing state board, and the 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 struggles, addiction, grief, parenting stress, and life transitions. Her approach values respect and straightforward conversation to help clients take practical steps forward.
She frames therapy as a collaborative process. Sessions focus on what matters most right now and on short, doable changes that add up. Mary mixes evidence-informed methods with an attention to each person’s life story rather than relying on labels.
Background and approach
Mary draws on existential ideas that ask what matters in a person’s life and how to live with more meaning. She also uses Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and cognitive behavioral techniques to address painful thoughts and actions. Attachment-based ideas shape how she looks at relationship patterns and intimacy concerns.
Her work often centers on real problems like coping with stress, managing mood shifts, recovering from trauma, and rebuilding from loss. She also supports people dealing with ADHD, anger, compassion fatigue, and career or parenting strain. Mary pays attention to how past experiences affect current choices.
Sessions aim to be practical and humane. Mary offers clear steps, grounded reflection, and coaching when clients want concrete planning. She encourages clients to notice values, try new behaviors, and measure small gains over time.
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
- Existential Therapy
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
- Attachment-Based Therapy
- Client-Centered Therapy
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
- Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT)
- 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
Approaches that guide online work and practical options
Mary blends Existential therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and Attachment-based ideas in a way that fits online work. Existential therapy helps people consider meaning and values and can guide work on life transitions and identity questions. ACT focuses on accepting difficult feelings while committing to actions that reflect personal values, which is useful for anxiety, depression, and coping with change. Attachment-based ideas look at patterns in close relationships and can help with intimacy, trust, and connection problems.Choosing the right approach is part of the therapy process. Mary collaborates with each client to identify goals and to try methods that match those goals and preferences. She adjusts techniques over time based on what helps a person make steady progress and feel more in control of everyday choices.
Online sessions offer flexibility and several practical formats. Video calls let people read facial cues and work more deeply during longer sessions. Phone sessions can fit into a work break or require less bandwidth. Live chat and text-based messaging are useful for shorter check-ins, tracking homework, or when someone prefers writing through a difficult moment. These options make it easier to keep therapy regular and to use the format that suits a person’s daily life.
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Questions people ask
What kinds of problems does she address?
Mary works with concerns such as anxiety, depression, addictions, relationship and intimacy issues, trauma, grief, parenting strain, career stress, ADHD, and stress-related problems.
How would you describe her therapeutic style?
Her style is collaborative and direct. She combines honest conversation with practical exercises and coaching to help clients make small, meaningful changes.
What is her background and experience?
She is a licensed clinical social worker with 25 years of practice experience and additional work as a life coach to support goal-focused work.
Where does she practice and what credential does she hold?
She is licensed in Virginia and holds the credential LCSW, which stands for Licensed Clinical Social Worker.
In which languages are sessions offered?
Sessions are offered in English only.
What session formats are available online?
Therapy can be done through video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging depending on client preference.
How are sessions billed or paid for?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability; sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
How do I get started with this therapist?
Begin by selecting the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule sessions according to therapist availability.
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