Meet The Therapist

Mary Devorak, M.S., LMFT

Mary Devorak

About Me:

My personal belief about therapy is that clients are the experts on themselves. I use client storytelling and other techniques to clarify distinctive qualities and strengths in my clients. Clients then develop skills, talents, and understanding in therapy to better navigate the systems they live in, which can include families, education, jobs, the mental health system, and the greater society around us. I am honored to be a part of the journey towards discovering one’s authentic self.

I am passionate about working with the autistic community, especially those who have grown into adolescence or adulthood without a diagnosis. I provide Autism Assessments at Sentier. I use identity first language and do not use behavioral-based approaches. Together we will process your lived experience with language shaped by your unique perspective in therapy.

I come from the perspective that self-expression is vital. I am a neurodivergent therapist, and I have visible tattoos. My colleague Megan’s guidelines are a great example of how to talk to teens not only about tattoos, but also how to balance a therapist’s point of view alongside their client’s own perspective and specific circumstances.

I love to incorporate geek culture and gaming into my therapy practice. I believe that games (including video games) can allow for exploration of the self, provide stress relief and connection with others, and can even be used in therapy. At the same time, many aspects of the gaming industry can create toxic environments and promote harmful perspectives. I am intentional about how I talk about games and I provide a supportive space to discuss safety and concerns about gaming communities.

I am a therapeutic game master. I run RPGs like Dungeons and Dragons
and Kids on Bikes as a part of individual, family, and group therapy. Do you identify more with the Joker or Batman? Do you follow Spock’s logic or do your emotions drive your decisions? These are some examples of questions I might have for you!

And as you may have guessed, my personal life is filled with games of all kinds. My wife and I enjoy gaming together, taking our dogs for walks, and reading. All of our animals have been bestowed geeky names from our favorite TV shows and video games! Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is my favorite classic video game. Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands is my favorite current video game. I have too many TTRPGs and board games to choose a favorite.