Mary Lee Palmer , LCSW, CSW

Mary Lee Palmer is a licensed clinical social worker in Georgia with 41 years of experience. She brings a warm, interactive style to sessions and frames therapy as a partnership. Her manner can be playful while remaining respectful and compassionate. She avoids labels and focuses on the person in front of her.

She draws on Client-Centered Therapy to make room for each person's lived experience. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is used to spot unhelpful thoughts and try new behaviors. She also uses Emotionally-Focused Therapy and psychodynamic ideas to look at relationship patterns and early influences. Mindfulness practices are offered to reduce stress and improve sleep.

Mary Lee has worked in psychiatric hospitals and private practice. Her background includes leadership roles on child and adolescent units and directing child and adolescent services at hospitals in Atlanta. That experience exposed her to a wide age range of concerns, from children to older adults.

She has supported people facing depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety, grief, addiction, trauma and abuse, and relationship strains such as infidelity and intimacy-related problems. She also addresses parenting stress, blended family issues, caregiver strain, chronic illness, and questions around sexuality including BDSM and kink matters.

Sessions are offered in English and Mary Lee accepts international clients. She uses a collaborative approach to build a plan that fits each person's goals, needs, and pace. To begin, clients complete a short matching questionnaire and schedule based on availability.

How her approaches translate to online therapy

Mary Lee uses Client-Centered Therapy to listen and follow what matters most to each person, creating space for concerns about relationships, identity, and life changes. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is used to identify unhelpful thoughts and try practical behavior experiments to reduce anxiety, improve sleep, or address mood symptoms. Emotionally-Focused Therapy helps people name and change interaction patterns that cause hurt in close relationships.

Choosing the right approach is part of the work. She collaborates with clients to decide which methods fit best for their goals and preferences. That plan can change as progress is made, and she invites regular check-ins to make sure the direction still feels helpful.

Online formats available include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging. Video calls are good for face-to-face interaction and working on emotional moments. Phone sessions can be easier when bandwidth is limited or a camera is not wanted. Live chat or text messaging can be useful for shorter check-ins, journaling between sessions, or when someone prefers writing over speaking. These options make scheduling more flexible and help people fit therapy into busy lives.