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MZ Portrait of Mary Kay Zayani

Mary Kay Zayani

Compassionate guidance for change and emotional resilience

LCSW California

Experience
25 years in practice
Focus areas
Stress, Anxiety, Relationship, Grief
Approaches
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Attachment-Based Therapy
Languages
English
Continue with Mary

About Mary

Mary Kay Zayani is a licensed clinical social worker with 25 years of experience helping people navigate stress, anxiety, grief, relationship challenges, career questions, and addiction concerns.

Background and approach

She centers her work on supporting clients through life transitions, moments of low motivation, and emotional upheaval, guiding them to discover practical steps and personal strengths that move them forward. Mary Kay brings a warm, empathetic presence and a nonjudgmental stance to sessions, listening carefully and validating each person's experience.

Her clinical orientation blends cognitive behavioral strategies with attachment-informed and client-centered ideas, along with elements of dialectical and existential thinking when useful. This mix allows her to help clients stabilize intense emotions, self-soothe during distress, and identify and challenge unhelpful thinking patterns.

Mary Kay holds an LCSW and practices in California, drawing on a long career that began with graduate training focused on clinical social work. She aims to collaborate with clients so they can name goals, explore options, and build coping skills tailored to their lives.

Approaches in Online Therapy and How They Help

Mary Kay often draws on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to help clients identify and change unhelpful thought patterns and develop actionable coping skills for anxiety, depression, and stress. Attachment-Based ideas are used to explore how early and current relationship dynamics influence intimacy, trust, and communication in present-day relationships. Client-Centered techniques provide a warm, accepting context in which clients can feel heard and develop insight at their own pace.

Choosing the right approach is treated as a collaborative process. Mary Kay works with each person to understand their goals, preferences, and life circumstances, and she adapts methods over time so the work fits the client's needs rather than following a fixed formula.

Online therapy offers practical flexibility through video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging, making it easier to fit sessions into busy schedules and to maintain continuity during life transitions. These formats allow licensed professionals to deliver therapy in ways that match communication styles and logistical needs, supporting ongoing progress from wherever a client is based in California.

Frequently asked questions

What concerns can be addressed in sessions?
Mary Kay works with a wide range of concerns including stress, anxiety, depression, grief, relationship and intimacy issues, career questions, addictions, parenting and self-esteem concerns, ADHD, and related areas such as abandonment and attachment issues.
What is her therapeutic style like?
She blends strength-based and client-centered ways of working with cognitive-behavioral and dialectical techniques, offering a supportive, nonjudgmental stance while helping clients identify patterns and develop practical skills.
How much clinical experience does she have?
She brings 25 years of experience in counseling and mental health, with a career shaped by graduate training in clinical social work and long-term practice in the field.
What credentials and location are listed?
Mary Kay holds an LCSW with licensure details NY LCSW 075755 and CA LCSW 21199, and she practices from California.
Which languages are available and can international clients join?
Sessions are conducted in English, and she is not accepting international clients at this time.
In what formats are sessions offered?
She meets with clients via video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging to accommodate different preferences and schedules.
How is cost handled for sessions?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability; sessions are provided through a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.
What are the first steps to begin working together?
To start, select the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and then schedule according to the therapist's availability.

Areas of expertise

Primary focus

Stress, AnxietyRelationship issuesGriefCareer difficultiesCoaching

Also works with

AddictionsFamily conflictsIntimacy-related issuesEating disordersParenting issuesSelf esteemDepressionCoping with life changesADHD

Additional focus areas

AbandonmentAttachment issuesBody imageCodependencyCommitment issuesCommunication problemsDivorce and separationEmptinessFamily of origin issuesFamily problemsFatherhood issuesForgivenessGuilt and shameInfidelityIsolation / lonelinessJealousyLife purposeMidlife crisisMoney and financial issuesPanic disorder and panic attacksPost-traumatic stressSeasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)Self-loveSocial anxiety and phobiaWomen's issues

Therapeutic approaches

Attachment-Based TherapyClient-Centered TherapyCognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)Existential TherapyJungian TherapyMindfulness TherapyMotivational InterviewingPsychodynamic TherapySolution-Focused TherapyTrauma-Focused Therapy

Experience

25+ years

Licensed

California, New York

Languages

English