Mary Hartenstein, LCSW

Mary Hartenstein is a licensed clinical social worker practicing in Louisiana. She holds an LCSW and brings five years of professional experience to her practice. Mary frames therapy as a place where a person’s strengths are central to change. She emphasizes practical steps and steady support for people who choose to make changes in their lives.

Mary helps people who are coping with stress, anxiety, addiction concerns, and life adjustments. She also supports those dealing with grief, eating and body image concerns, anger, low self-esteem, and compassion fatigue. Relationship and communication problems are part of her focus as well, along with family of origin issues and blended family challenges.

Her work includes attention to adoption and foster care topics, abandonment, caregiver stress, aging and geriatric issues, and struggles tied to guilt, shame, or forgiveness. Mary also addresses drug and alcohol addiction and dependent personality concerns. She aims to meet each person where they are and build on what already works for them.

Mary uses Solution-Focused Therapy as a guiding approach. That means sessions often center on setting small goals and identifying practical steps that move a person toward what they want. The sessions are collaborative, with the client’s priorities guiding the plan.

Mary describes therapy as a partnership. She offers a steady, respectful presence while helping people try new strategies, practice different ways of coping, and track progress over time.

Solution-Focused Work Online and What to Expect

Solution-Focused Therapy concentrates on practical steps and small changes that move a person toward their goals. It often focuses on what is working and on identifying short-term goals, which can help with stress, anxiety, relationship and communication problems, and coping with life changes.

The approach is collaborative and future-oriented. The therapist will help you name clear goals, pick a few doable actions, and check progress in follow-up sessions. This can feel motivating for people who want focused, goal-driven work rather than long open-ended exploration.

Finding the right approach is part of the process. Mary will work with each person to decide whether a solution-focused method fits their needs and can adjust plans based on how things are going. That means the plan may change as goals become clearer and progress is tracked together.

Session formats are not specified in the biography, so confirm current options before booking. Online work can make it easier to fit sessions into a busy life, shorten commute time, and allow check-ins during a lunch break or between other commitments. It can also let people continue regular sessions while managing change or transition in their daily routine.