Since 1984, Mary Kay has enjoyed practicing feminist psychotherapy with women, men and couples. In 1988, she co-founded Women's Psychotherapy Centre of Wisconsin.
In addition to her life as a therapist, she is also an artist. The art-making process has taught her about the power of creativity as a healing tool and as an agent of change. Mary Kay believes that creative outlets can be enormously helpful in a person's healing journey, and explores these avenues with many of the people she works with.
On occasion, one of her Standard Poodles, Phoebe or Yoko, will join her at work. Phoebe is a beautiful, sensitive soul and is a calming, sweet presence. Yoko, the therapy-in-training youngster is learning to channel her affection and exuberance in the office and loves to show off what "safe and secure" looks like!
Individual Therapy Mary Kay works with a wide variety of issues providing therapy for individuals. She has worked extensively with many lesbian women for over 30 years of her practice. She actively supports lesbian relationships and seeks to provide a caring and open atmosphere for women to feel free to explore and celebrate all aspects of their lives.
Often, the struggles that bring people to seek therapy are the results of childhood or adult abuse (sexual, physical or emotional), maltreatment or neglect. Those after-effects can range from depression, self-injury, dissociation, anxiety, eating problems, grief and loss, difficulty knowing and experiencing emotions or inhabiting one's own body. Many people who come to therapy have endured troublesome childhoods, which can lead to a fragile sense of self-worth, deep feelings of shame, and a loss of a sense of safety in the world. Discrimination and oppression can also contribute to a person's difficulty in life. Together with her clients, Mary Kay explores their personal stories and the way the world around them has helped shaped their sense of self. Finding one's own voice and expressing it from a place of personal strength in a troubled and troubling world can be an important aim of feminist therapy.
Trauma Therapy Psychological trauma can result from any experience that is physically or emotionally painful, shocking, disturbing or distressing. It can overwhelm a person's ability to cope and cause enormous suffering. Stubborn emotional and physiological issues can have roots in one or many traumatic events. Unprocessed and un-integrated physical and emotional trauma can get stored in the body as hyper-vigilance, intrusive thoughts, depression, addictions, psychological numbing, chronic pain or tension, anxiety and phobias. Many trauma victims are alienated from their bodies, and need to learn how to tolerate feelings and body sensations in order to resolve the trauma that is stuck in body and the brain. The goal of trauma therapy is to relieve the emotional pain and eliminate unresolved trauma. This can lead to a deep, bodily knowing of what "safe and secure" looks and feels like.
When working with trauma, Mary Kay practices EMDR Therapy, which has been extensively researched and proven extremely effective for the treatment of trauma. This integrative approach to therapy is a powerful, yet gentle process that allows the body and brain to clear unresolved trauma from the nervous system. Through this treatment, people discover the strength and capacity to heal themselves from the inside out.
Couples Therapy Equity and shared power in a relationship as an important focus in Mary Kay's clinical work with couples. Of particular importance is the physical and emotional safety of both partners, which is fundamental to greater intimacy and satisfaction within the couple. In intimate relationships, couples become emotionally attached to their partners-- that's a GOOD thing! However, the problems that arise between couples are often related to having lost connection to one another. Couples therapy seeks to re-establish that connection and help partners find their way back home to each other. Creating a secure bond in an environment of safety and trust is the heart and soul of relationship repair.
Women's Psychotherapy Centre of Wisconsin,LLC 16 N. Carroll St., Suite 710 Madison, WI 608.255.4747