Looking for a counsellor in townsville?
Mary is a Mental Health Social Worker, committed to offering an emotionally safe space of acceptance and growth
no waitlist oct & nov 2025 - Sessions by appointment only
Currently taking new referrals
Best contact - hello@marypearson.com.au
Qualifications - skills - Training
Mary earned her Bachelor of Social Work through Deakin University and her Mental Health Accreditation through the Australian Association of Social Work.
Mary holds multiple additional skills and training in:
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Gottman Method couples counselling, grief and loss counselling, domestic and family violence counselling, disordered eating intervention, suicide intervention, self-harm intervention, narrative therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), solution focussed therapy, motivational interviewing (MI), LGBTIQ+ awareness and inclusion, cultural sensitivity, play therapy and trauma-informed practice.
Experience
Mary has a decade of experience as a social worker.
Many of her roles included different types of counselling.
Mary's career began in remote Central Australia where she worked for an organisation governed by Indigenous Elders, which helped build the foundations of her trauma-informed approach.
Mary then relocated to rural QLD where she provided mental health and wellbeing support to her surrounding communities and published two books.
Mary has spent the last four years supporting military members and their families in Townsville and Cairns.
Why choose this counsellor?
Authentic & Clear
Mary has a genuine interest in supporting people to understand their own strengths, tackle challenges and take steps towards positive change. Mary will tell her clients what interventions she is considering to use, and why, in order to assist her clients in making informed decisions about their mental health treatment.
Compassionate & Trauma-Informed
Mary offers a warm and compassionate trauma-informed approach. Mary understands the impact trauma can have on a person's wellbeing, and keeps this in mind when considering the environment, body language and verbal language used when providing support. Mary approaches each person with curiosity, patience and respect.
Professional & Knowledgeable
Mary offers focussed psychological strategies, including: psycho-education, cognitive behavioural therapy, relaxation strategies, skills training and narrative therapy.
Mary has training, experience and skills in many areas of mental wellbeing and finds it difficult to stick to one demographic or one style of therapy. She believes each person's experience of life is different and therefore requires a tailored and evidence-based treatment plan that best suits their goals and needs (no "one-size fits all" approach).
If Mary feels she does not yet have the skills needed to assist someone to the level they need, she will make the appropriate referrals, but it is likely she will try to add learning those skills to her to-do list.
