- Guilt and shame
- Grief and loss
- DBT and ACT
About Mary
Mary Frances Hudson is an LCSW licensed in Indiana with 35 years of experience. She works with people dealing with stress, anxiety, trauma and abuse, grief and loss, depression, and life changes. She also addresses issues like attachment concerns, caregiver stress, codependency, and guilt and shame.
Mary Frances centers the person telling the story rather than offering quick fixes. She treats people as the experts on their own lives and helps them use existing strengths to face hard feelings. Conversations tend to be practical and straightforward, focused on what is happening now and what steps feel doable.
Her approach draws on several evidence-informed methods, including acceptance and commitment strategies, cognitive behavioral techniques, dialectical behavior tools, emotionally-focused methods, and client-centered listening. That mix lets her work on thoughts, feelings, and behaviors together. Sessions often move between skills practice and talking through painful memories or current stresses.
She helps people who are coping with substance or relationship harms, survivors of sexual assault, those facing hospice or end-of-life concerns, and people managing mood and panic symptoms. Guilt and shame are named concerns she will address in therapy conversations.
Practical matters are part of the work. She helps people sort priorities, try new ways of reacting, and notice what changes when different choices are made. The aim is to make the load of daily life more manageable, one step at a time.
How therapeutic approaches work in online sessions
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, or ACT, helps people notice painful thoughts and feelings without getting stuck in them. It focuses on clarifying personal values and taking small actions that matter, which can help when guilt or shame make people avoid important parts of life.Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, looks at the connection between thoughts, feelings, and actions. It uses practical exercises to test unhelpful beliefs and try different responses, which can reduce anxiety and depressive patterns over time.
Finding the right approach is part of the work. The therapist will collaborate with each person to see which methods fit their goals and daily life. That might mean trying a skills practice one week and a deeper conversation the next, adapting as needs change.
Confirm the specific session formats before booking, since the biography does not list them. Online sessions can make it easier to fit therapy into busy schedules, allow shorter check-ins when needed, and remove travel time. These practical benefits support keeping therapy consistent while working on guilt, shame, trauma, and day-to-day stress.
Areas of expertise
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
35+ years
Listed in
California, Indiana
Languages
English
Frequently asked questions
What kinds of issues does she address?
She works with stress, anxiety, trauma and abuse, grief, depression, and coping with life changes, plus related areas such as guilt and shame and caregiver stress.
How would she approach shame or guilt in sessions?
She uses a mix of client-centered listening with techniques from ACT and CBT to help people notice unhelpful thoughts and try different responses to painful feelings.
How much experience does she have?
She has 35 years of professional experience working in social work and clinical practice.
What are her credentials and where is she based?
She is an LCSW licensed in Indiana and practices from that state.
Does she work in languages other than English?
Sessions are offered in English.
Can people outside the U.S. work with her?
She does not accept international clients at this time.
What is the session format?
Confirm current session options before booking, as formats are not specified in the biography.
How are costs handled and how do I begin?
Cost varies with location and sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time. To begin, use the See online therapy options button, complete the short matching questionnaire, and schedule a first session.
Online talk therapy is not emergency care. If you are in danger or thinking about harming yourself, use the crisis numbers.