Dr. Mary “Em” Ryan
Practical, experienced counsellor for life changes
About Mary
Dr. Mary “Em” Ryan offers a calm, direct approach for people feeling overwhelmed by stress, anxiety, low mood or major life changes. She works in plain language and supports conversations about relationships, grief, addiction and self‑esteem.
Sessions are welcoming and non‑judgemental, and she speaks English, Spanish and French. With 23 years of experience, Mary brings a steady practical style to sessions. She helps people clarify what matters to them, break unhelpful patterns and build small habits that make daily life easier.
Background and approach
Conversations focus on what people want to do differently and on steps they can try between sessions. Her work covers a wide range of concerns including career issues, parenting pressures, sleeping problems, anger and compassion fatigue. She also supports people dealing with trauma, abandonment, adoption and foster care matters, and end‑of‑life and hospice situations.
Intimacy issues, gender dysphoria and LGBT concerns are also included in her areas of focus. Mary uses several well‑known counselling approaches to match the work to each person. She draws on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy to help people act in line with their values, and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy to work on thoughts and behaviours that cause distress.
Client‑centred and emotion‑focused ways of working create room for honest feeling and clearer communication. People who prefer remote sessions can work with her from other locations, and she can offer practical options to fit busy schedules. Starting therapy begins with a short matching questionnaire and a chance to choose a suitable appointment time.
What Mary works with
How Mary works
Listed by Mary among the ways they work.
Listed by Mary among the ways they work.
Listed by Mary among the ways they work.
Listed by Mary among the ways they work.
Listed by Mary among the ways they work.
Listed by Mary among the ways they work.
Sessions & fees
How online counselling can use ACT, CBT and emotion work
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps people get clear about what matters to them and take small value‑led steps forward even when feelings are difficult. It often suits people facing life changes, low motivation or persistent worry. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) focuses on the link between thoughts, feelings and behaviours and provides practical exercises to reduce anxiety and improve sleep and mood. Emotionally‑Focused Therapy (EFT) creates space to understand and name strong feelings and to improve how people express emotions in close relationships.Finding the right approach is part of the work. The therapist will discuss goals, preferences and what has or hasn’t helped before, and together they will choose methods that feel practical and respectful. That collaborative decision is reviewed as progress unfolds.
Online sessions are available by video call, phone, live chat or text‑based messaging so people can fit therapy around work, family life or different time zones. Phone sessions can be used when bandwidth is low, live chat or messaging suit brief check‑ins, and video calls allow a fuller face‑to‑face style. These options aim to make it easier to keep continuity and build therapeutic momentum.
| Session length | Typically 50 minutes |
|---|---|
| Client ages | Adults, 18 and over |
| Fees | Subscription via BetterHelp, cancel anytime |
| Insurance | Not billed directly |
Questions people ask
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How long has she been practising?
Where is she based and what credential does she hold?
Which languages are available for sessions?
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Areas of focus
What this therapist works with
Most often
- Stress, Anxiety
- LGBT
- Relationship issues
Also listed
- Abandonment
- Addictions
- ADHD
- Adoption and foster care
- Aging and geriatric issues
- Anger management
- Career difficulties
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Coaching
- Communication problems
- Compassion fatigue
- Coping with life changes
- Coping with natural or human-caused disaster
- Depression
- Divorce and separation
- Domestic violence
- Family conflicts
- Family problems
- First responder issues
- Forgiveness
- Gender dysphoria
- Grief
- Hospice and end-of-life counselling
- Intimacy-related issues
- Isolation / loneliness
- Life purpose
- Midlife crisis
- Multicultural concerns
- Narcissism
- Parenting issues
- Post-traumatic stress
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Self esteem
- Self-love
- Sleeping disorders
- Trauma and abuse
- Traumatic brain injury
- Women's issues
- Workplace issues
- Young adult issues
Therapeutic approaches
- Experience
- 23 years
- Registered with
- BACP
- Languages
- English, Spanish, French
