Marybeth Gras is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) in the state of Missouri.  She completed the Master of Social Work program at the Brown School of Social Work at Washington University in St. Louis with a concentration in Children, Youth, and Families.  Marybeth has experience working with adults and adolescents in areas related to relationships, life transitions, parent-child relationships, anxiety, depression, trauma, academic/school problems, career, LGBTQIIA+ identity exploration and surrounding issues, and has special interest in neurodiversity, ADHD, and persons who identify with what was formerly known as Asperger’s syndrome.  She also loves to work with clients who feel ready to move beyond surviving, and those who have tended to identify as misfits. 

Marybeth’s down-to-earth therapeutic approach is focused on acceptance and connection, and often combines elements of Trauma Focused/Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, Gestalt Therapy, and Play Therapy.  This creates a protected, grounding space to facilitate self-compassion, healing from past wounds, and breaking out of patterns.  She emphasizes the significance of family, community, and social structures, while at the same time embracing clients’ individuality and strengths with compassion and curiosity, practicality, and genuine enthusiasm.  Marybeth is as an attentive listener and one who trusts in clients’ knowledge of themselves as foundational for growth and healing. 

From Marybeth:

“Being human is difficult!  Committing to counseling provides viable options to the struggles you face.  As you grow in your understanding of yourself and your world, you will begin to find that you have more choices than you thought possible — real alternatives to being defeated, becoming numb, or simply being trapped in knee-jerk patterns and reactions.  Growth in this way does require trust and vulnerability, but not just from you — from both of us!  My deepest hope is to be a compassionate collaborator and a source of safety and insight as you make small steps towards big change.”