About Mary
Mary Holtom is a California psychologist with 13 years of experience helping people who are overwhelmed by stress, anxiety, addiction, grief, and low mood. She focuses on practical steps clients can use right away. She likes a collaborative approach that helps people notice what is working and change what is not.
She trained at the Rosemead School of Psychology and completed her undergraduate studies at Azusa Pacific University. Her work has taken place in nonprofits, inpatient rehab, community mental health centers, a university counseling center, and online settings.
Background and approach
That range gives her experience with many different life situations and concerns. In sessions she combines mindfulness and cognitive behavioral ideas to help people stay present and learn new patterns. She also draws on Acceptance and Commitment therapy techniques to support meaningful behavior changes.
Those methods are used to address panic, social anxiety, mood problems, and trouble coping with life changes. Mary emphasizes a team effort between therapist and client. She helps people set clear goals, try practical exercises, and notice small shifts that add up.
The work is often about breaking old patterns and building new habits for a better daily life. Her practice supports English-speaking clients in California and people outside the U.S. via online formats. She holds the CA Psychologist license PSY31334 and brings 13 years of clinical experience to her work.
How evidence-based methods translate to online therapy
Mary often uses mindfulness-focused cognitive behavioral techniques that teach clients to notice thoughts and bodily sensations in the moment, then try new responses. These methods can help with anxiety, panic attacks, and day-to-day mood regulation.She also draws on Acceptance and Commitment therapy approaches, which encourage people to clarify personal values and take small committed actions toward those values despite uncomfortable feelings. This can be useful for addressing avoidance, addiction patterns, and life changes.
Choosing the right approach is a process she works through with each person. The therapist and client review goals and try techniques together, then adjust what they do based on what helps. That collaborative process makes it easier to find practical tools that fit a person’s life and needs.
Online formats include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging. Video calls allow face-to-face interaction and guided exercises. Phone sessions can be a good option when bandwidth is limited or a quieter check-in is needed. Live chat and text messaging support shorter check-ins, written exercises, and ongoing reminders between sessions. These options provide flexibility for busy schedules and differing comfort levels with remote work.
Questions people ask
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What this therapist works with
Most often
Also listed
- Experience
- 13 years
- Licensed
- California
- Languages
- English
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