About Mary
Mary Mcfarland Riedel is a California-based licensed clinical social worker who helps people facing stress, anxiety, family problems, trauma and abuse, low self-esteem, and depression. She uses a direct, compassionate approach to create a space where people can talk honestly about what worries them and what they hope to change. Mary aims for practical conversations that lead to small, doable steps.
She focuses on helping people build confidence and motivation.
How Mary works
Sessions are collaborative and paced to each person’s needs. With four years of professional experience as an LCSW, Mary draws on evidence-based therapeutic techniques to address emotional pain and everyday struggles. She listens for patterns in thinking and behavior and offers strategies to reduce stress and strengthen coping skills.
Mary also supports concerns such as body image, caregiver stress, communication problems, eating and food-related issues, fatherhood issues, isolation and loneliness, life purpose, money and financial worries, women’s issues, workplace strain, and challenges common to young adults. Her style is straightforward and empathetic.
She works to make sessions understandable and useful, whether someone needs short-term focus on a specific issue or ongoing support while making bigger life changes.
What Mary works with
The areas below are the ones Mary selected when setting up a profile. The first few are listed as the main focus; the rest are also named.
- Stress, Anxiety
- Family conflicts
- Trauma and abuse
Also listed
Training and background
| Register | LCSW |
|---|---|
| Years in practice | 4 |
| Languages | English |
| Session format | Online: video, phone, live chat or messaging |
| Country | California |
Memberships and registers are shown as supplied; they are not licences, and this directory does not verify them.
Online support options
How evidence-based approaches work online
Many clients benefit from techniques that focus on changing unhelpful thoughts and building coping skills. Cognitive-based methods help people notice patterns of thinking that increase anxiety or low mood and replace them with more balanced thoughts. These approaches are useful for stress, anxiety, and depression.Skills-focused behavioral work teaches practical actions to reduce distress. This can include small exposure steps for avoidance, activity scheduling to lift mood, and hands-on strategies for managing stress and cravings. Such work often helps with trauma-related symptoms, eating and food-related issues, and isolation.
Choosing the right approach is a collaborative process. The therapist will talk with each person about goals, preferences, and what has or has not helped before. Together they will try methods and adjust the plan as needed so the work fits the person’s life.
Online sessions via video calls, phone, live chat, or text-based messaging make it easier to fit therapy into busy days. Video offers face-to-face conversation, phone can be simpler when bandwidth is low, live chat suits quick check-ins, and messaging supports ongoing reflection between sessions. These options give flexibility while keeping the focus on practical progress and real-world skills.
Start online instead of waiting
Our partner service asks a few questions about what you are looking for and matches you with a therapist for sessions from home.
Book with MaryWe will earn a commission if you sign up through our link, at no cost to you.
Common questions
What concerns does Mary address?
What is her therapeutic style like?
How much clinical experience does she have?
What credential does she hold and where is she based?
Which languages are supported for sessions?
What session formats are available?
How is cost handled for sessions?
How do I begin working with Mary?
A practical next step
Write down two things you would want to be different in six months. That is the most useful thing to bring to a first session, whoever it is with. If you would rather start now than keep reading, online sessions are the quickest route.
We will earn a commission if you sign up through our link, at no cost to you. Entries are not assessed or endorsed by this directory.
Other entries for stress, anxiety
Supportive LCSW helping people build strength and clarity
Practical, trauma-aware therapy for everyday life
Practical, relational therapy for life transitions