Mary Cook

I work primarily with adults who would describe themselves as struggling with anxiety or panic, depression, impulsivity, traumatic stress, challenges in relationships, substance misuse, and disordered eating patterns. My goal is to help you cultivate self-compassion and learn how to relate to your thoughts, emotions, memories, and urges in ways that align with what is most important to you in life. My approach is based in experiential mindfulness and behavioral therapies called ACT and DBT, with our relationship being the foundation of our work together. Across diagnoses or presentations, many people I work with feel as though there is something wrong with them - I'm not good enough, I'm inadequate, I'm unworthy. Feeling inadequate is a normal part of being human, but many of us learn to cope with these feelings by either doing everything we can to prove we are enough, or by desperately taking the edge off these feelings. These ways of coping can show up in behaviors like rumination and worry, substance misuse, impulsivity, restriction or bingeing, and more. While we are occupied reacting to aversive feelings and intrusive thoughts, we feel like we're missing out on the life we want to live. (Paul Holmes, Chronic Distress Model, C-DBT) Whether you have a clear vision of what you want your life to look like or feel lost in even beginning to approach that question, you don't have to do this alone. I can collaborate with you in one-on-one therapy, or if you and I feel you may benefit from more structure, I am part of a comprehensive DBT team that would be honored to partner with you. Since graduating with both an AM in Comparative Human Development and an AM in Social Work at the University of Chicago in 2021, I have continued ongoing education and intensive supervision and consultation on a DBT team at the Emotion Management Program (emp-dbt.com) with Paul Holmes, PsyD (where I also work in-person and with both adolescents and adults). I entered the field of clinical social work coming out of academics as a sociocultural anthropologist. I've always been fascinated by how people seek belonging and heal in relationships. Outside of work, you can find me doing yoga, visiting beaches, playing music, and volunteering with shelter dogs.