About Mary Jo
My experience in working as a psychotherapist spans over 25 years. I have worked in many settings with a wide range of people. Working with people comes naturally to me. I enjoy people and connect with ease.
My approach to psychotherapy is highly influenced by 30+ years of experience in meditation, spiritual studies in Eastern and Western traditions. It was after many years of spiritual practice and working in hospice that I decided to return to graduate school to complete a Master’s degree in Clinical Psychology. My spiritual practices, coupled with an innate interest and understanding of psychology, have been crucial in allowing me to be very present with my clients which allows me to expand my understanding of each individual by sharpening my perceptions, insights, empathy, intuition and deepening my compassion. I experience each individual as unique and believe everyone has the potential for wholeness. I treat my clients candidly, respectfully and use humor naturally as part of the therapeutic setting. I am very much myself and have found this is helpful to my clients to feel okay to just be themselves as well.
I received my Master’s degree from Center For Humanistic Studies in Detroit, Michigan (now Michigan School of Professional Psychology (MISPP) in Farmington Hills). I chose this school because their curriculum allowed the choice to integrate one’s spirituality into their program if desired. I wrote my thesis on “What is the Experience of Compassion”. Having worked with the dying in hospice as well as working as a volunteer for the Seva Foundation, my compassion was deepened and I wanted to explore the meaning of compassion at a more profound level. MISPP is an experiential client centered approach to psychotherapy focusing on the innate power of each client to determine the course of their life. I help my clients connect more deeply with this innate power and to understand how to access their power and truth in an effort to authentically know themselves. Through using a variety of methods I help my clients remove blocks that are in the way of their happiness and their goals.
My clinical experience and specialization include trauma and grief having worked in hospice which was inspired by Ram Dass, my teacher. I became attuned to the experience of the dying and those who have experienced a loss. And since then have experienced a very deep and personal loss myself when my beloved son passed away.
Prior to becoming a psychotherapist, I worked for several years in Human Resources. I started and managed a personal development program in Toledo for three years and have a background in public relations, personal development, event organizing, organizational communications, and hospice.
Whether you are in crisis, depressed, anxious or have some kind of problem you need help with or have a chronic sense of “what’s missing” in your life, I can help you take the next steps that will bring you closer to a sense of ease and joy and help you to connect with the deeper meaning in your life.