A Pathways Counselor

Mary Jo Graske

MA, LMFT
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Mary Jo Graske
Mary Jo Graske

Location

Client Focus

 
COUNSELING TYPE
  • Individual
  • Marriage & Relationship
AGE
  • Adolescents 18 -19
  • Adults 20 – 65
  • Seniors 65+

Areas of Special Focus

  • Abuse (Victim)
  • ADD/ADHD
  • Adjustment Issues
  • Affair Recovery
  • Anger Management (Adult)
  • Anxiety (Adult)
  • Career & Work Issues
  • Codependence
  • Communication & Conflict Resolution
  • Coping Skills
  • Depression (Adult)
  • Divorce Adjustment (Family)
  • Divorce Recovery
  • Grief and Loss
  • Interpersonal Relationship Conflicts
  • Intimacy
  • Low Self-esteem and Self-Worth (Adult)
  • Marital & Pre-Marital Inventories
  • Marital Distress
  • Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
  • Phobias (Adult)
  • Pre-Marriage Preparation
  • Remarriage
  • Sexual Addiction & Pornography (Spouse/Significant Other)
  • Spiritual Relationship & Growth
  • Spiritual Struggles
  • Stress Management
  • Women’s Issues
  • Work – Life Balance

Areas of Special Focus

Although Mary Jo works with clients on a large variety of issues, her more specific areas of interest include:

  • Adjustment Issues
    Anxiety, Depression, Phobias, and Perfectionism
  • Women’s Issues Including Single Parenting and Stress Management
  • Work-Life Balance
  • Codependency
  • Interpersonal Relationship Issues
    Communication and Conflict Resolution
  • Marital Distress, Affair
  • Recovery & Spiritual Relationship Growth
  • Divorce Recovery
  • Parenting Including Parent-Child Conflicts and Sibling Rivalry
  • Remarriage and Pre-marriage Preparation
  • Spiritual Struggles and Spiritual Growth
  • Grief and Loss
  • Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
  • Partners of Those Struggling with Sexual Addiction and Pornography

CLIENT FOCUS

AGE
  • Children
  • Adolescents
  • Adults
COUNSELING TYPE
  • Child & Adolescent
  • Family
  • Individual
  • Marriage & Relationship

Locations

About

Mary Jo enjoys working with individuals, couples, families, seniors, and young adults (18+).  She has extensive education and experience in research and as a medical specialist in both corporate and hospital settings. For over 25 years, Mary Jo has counseled, mentored, and educated married couples and those preparing for marriage. She especially enjoys working with those individuals who are moving into new life stages and need assistance adjusting to the changes and challenges that accompany them.

Her approach to therapy is designed to meet the needs of each individual but is generally cognitive behavioral, solution focused. 

Philosophy

I am passionate about helping people through the obstacles that stand in their way. Obstacles come in the form of change to an otherwise smooth journey. We all hit them. But sometimes they stop us in our tracks and we cannot move forward. We feel stuck. Attempting to go around the obstacles or avoiding them often just promotes further frustration and pain. My goal as a therapist is to walk with my clients on their journey and help give them hope by equipping them with effective tools that facilitate movement through obstacles, eventually leading to personal growth and freedom.

I incorporate various insight-oriented, solution-focused approaches depending on the specific obstacles and needs of the client. I believe in the uniqueness of individuals, and throughout the course of therapy, invite clients to identify and integrate the specific aspects of themselves — talents, strengths, spiritual beliefs, and faith experiences, that help provide them grounding, safety, and stability. I work closely with my clients to identify attainable goals, offer practical and applicable suggestions for change, and encourage them to stay the course. It is important for me to allow God to heal and transform individuals so they are free to know and love themselves as He created them to be.

Licensures & Certifications

  • MN Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist

Education & Additional Training

  • Adler Graduate School, MA in Counseling and Psychotherapy; Marriage and Family Therapy
  • St. Mary’s University, BA in Biology
  • Life Innovations, Inc., PREPARE/ENRICH Premarital & Marriage Enrichment Facilitator

Selected Links

Selected Books

Relationships
  • Sacred Marriage, by Gary Thomas
  • Boundaries in Marriage, by Dr. Henry Cloud and Dr. John Townsend
  • I Promise: How Five Essential Commitments Determine the Destiny of Your Marriage, by GarySmalley
  • Torn Asunder: Recovering from Extramarital Affairs, by Dave Carder
  • Boundaries in Dating, by Dr. Henry Cloud and Dr. John Townsend
  • Did I Kiss Marriage Goodbye?: Trusting God with a Hope Deferred, by Carolyn McCulley
Parenting, Child, & Teen
    • Yes, Your Teen is Crazy: Loving your Kid Without Losing Your Mind, by Michael Bradley
    • The Power of Positive Parenting: A Wonderful Way To Raise Children, by Dr. Glen I. Latham
    • Boundaries with Kids, by Dr. Henry Cloud and Dr. John Townsend
    • Positive Discipline, by Jane Nelsen Ed. D
Mens & Womens Issues
  • Hiding From Love, by Dr. John Townsend
  • Adult Children: The Secrets of Dysfunctional Families, by Dr. John Friel and Linda Friel
  • The Anxiety & Phobia Workbook, by Edmund Bourne, Ph.D
  • The Dance of Anger: A Woman’s Guide to Changing the Patterns of Intimate Relationships, by Harriet Lerner, Ph.D
  • Codependent No More: How to Stop Controlling Others and Start Caring for Yourself, by Melody Beattie
  • Mending A Shattered Heart: A Guide for Partners of Sex Addicts, by Stefanie Carnes, Ph.D
  • Shattered Vows: Hope and Healing for Women Who Have Been Sexually Betrayed, by Deb Laaser
  • Never Good Enough, by Monica Ramirez Basco, Ph.D
  • Feel The Fear: And Do It Anyway, by Susan Jeffers, Ph.D
  • Total Forgiveness, by R.T. Kendall
  • An Operators Manual For Combat PTSD: Essays For Coping, by Ashley B. Hart, II
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