Mary Lee Palmer, LCSW, CSW

Mary Lee Palmer is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) based in Georgia. She brings a warm, interactive style to sessions and aims to help people facing relationship strain, addiction, grief, anxiety, depression, and trauma. Her approach is collaborative and respectful, and she invites clients to take the first step toward change.

With 41 years of practice, Palmer has worked in psychiatric hospitals and private practice. She led parent groups, adolescent daily groups, and family therapy while on a child and adolescent unit at Peachford Hospital in Atlanta. She also served as Director of Child and Adolescent Services at Brawner Hospital in Atlanta.

Her background includes supporting people across the lifespan, from young children to older adults, and helping those with chronic conditions such as bipolar disorder. She has experience helping people who have suffered physical trauma and emotional abuse. Infidelity and sex-related concerns are areas she has worked with extensively.

Palmer blends Client-Centered Therapy with cognitive-behavioral, mindfulness, psychodynamic, and emotionally focused ideas when planning care. She emphasizes listening first and tailoring a plan to each person’s needs rather than relying on labels. Sessions can include practical strategies, focused conversation, and mindfulness practices to manage stress, sleep, and emotional regulation.

She views therapy as a partnership and aims to offer guidance with sensitivity and compassion. If someone is ready to make a change, Palmer offers steady support as they work toward clearer goals and better functioning.

How therapeutic approaches translate to online work

Client-Centered Therapy focuses on listening and building a trusting relationship, helping people feel heard as they talk through relationship problems, grief, or identity concerns. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) looks at patterns of thought and behavior and uses practical exercises and homework to reduce anxiety, manage mood, and change unhelpful habits. Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT) helps people identify and shift emotional patterns in relationships, which can be useful for intimacy issues, attachment concerns, and rebuilding trust.

Finding the right approach is part of the process. The therapist will work collaboratively to match methods to a person's goals, needs, and preferences. That means trying techniques, checking what helps, and adjusting the plan together rather than committing to a single method up front.

The therapist's biography does not list specific session formats, so confirm current options before booking. In general, online therapy can make it easier to fit sessions into a busy life - for example a shorter check-in during a lunch break, not needing extra travel time, or choosing an audio session when bandwidth is low. Licensed professionals can adapt CBT homework, emotion-focused exercises, and client-centered conversation to remote sessions so the work remains practical and goal-oriented.