Couples therapists in Saint Louis, MO

I am an experienced therapist, licensed in Maryland, Ohio, Missouri, and Kansas. I will be your partner and tailor our dialog and treatment plan to meet your unique and specific needs. I have a master’s degree from the Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences at Case Western Reserve University. I have been described as supportive, direct, caring, and compassionate, with a good sense of humor. I like to focus on identifying your strengths and helping you maximize them.

Life can be challenging from time to time, rather than continuing to struggle reach out and I can help you obtain the necessary skills to be confident in the decisions you make.

Mary brings a unique and powerful depth of experience to the therapeutic relationship, including specialized focus areas such as:

• Trauma Recovery: Extensive experience developing and delivering programs for individuals dealing with Post-Traumatic Stress (PTS)
• First Responder & Military Families:
• Life Transitions & Stress Management:

If you are seeking a therapist with the highest level of expertise in trauma and complex stress—who also provides a supportive, personalized approach—Mary I. Sullivan is ready to partner with you on your path to healing.

Partner 1: “I reach for you, but it feels like you’re already gone.” I’m left wondering if I matter to you at all.” Partner 2: “When you come close, I feel the pressure to be perfect, so I pull back to protect us both.” These unspoken messages leave couples lonely and stuck. I help break this anxious–avoidant cycle so partners feel safe, seen, and deeply connected again.

“I don’t understand why I want closeness so badly, yet feel disappointed when I have it. Why do I feel lonelier than others, even when I’m not alone?” Or: “I care deeply, but people say I’m distant or hard to read. When emotions get intense, I shut down—not because I don’t feel, but because it feels like too much.”

These quiet tensions live beneath awareness for many people. Longing and self-protection pull in opposite directions. Needs feel confusing, emotions feel overwhelming or unsafe, and core beliefs quietly form—I’m too much, I’m not enough, connection costs me something.

I help people loosen these patterns, reconcile the Self with more truthful and adaptive beliefs, and move toward self-acceptance and interdependence—where connection no longer threatens safety, but deepens it.

After nine years serving in the U.S. Coast Guard, I realized my deepest fulfillment came not from fixing systems, but from walking with people. Leaving the military was not a departure from service—it was a continuation of it. I pursued social work and theological training to better support people in their most important relationships. Today, my practice is devoted to couples counseling and trauma-informed care. Drawing primarily from Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) and EMDR, I help couples slow conflict, understand what drives disconnection, and emotional safety. As a veteran and seminary-trained therapist, I bring structure, compassion, and steady hope—meeting clients with respect, grace, and a belief in lasting change.

I will support you on your journey toward healing and personal growth. I wholeheartedly enjoy providing a warm and welcoming space. My faith informs my practice by highlighting the importance of hope, resilience, and holistic growth. I believe that healing is possible, and I am committed to helping you move toward purpose.

That I intend to fully invest myself in helping them