LGBTQ DRAMA THERAPY | BROCKTON, MA
MARY SCHWABENLAND
I provide therapy for adults seeking emotional healing, clarity, and self-understanding on a deep and embodied level beyond symptom management. I see every symptom as a story of survival in an unjust world. Together, we’ll explore those stories with curiosity and compassion so you can remember your power, meet your needs, and live your most authentic life. I welcome clients from diverse spiritual and cultural backgrounds and love working with LGBTQ+ individuals, artists and creatives, young adults, and anyone navigating complex trauma, religious trauma, dissociation, or questions of purpose and belonging.
About
I am a pre-licensed professional working under supervision at Leading Light Behavioral Health in Brockton, MA, offering in-person and telehealth therapy services. I utilize a mixture of creative arts approaches under the lens of Drama Therapy. "Drama Therapy" is an approach similar to art or music therapy that utilizes body, voice, and story as tools to help you explore your inner world. You don’t need to be an actor, extraverted, or identify as artistic to benefit - just willing to try something new!My approach is trauma- and attachment-informed, emphasizing creative and embodied methods to help clients explore the emotional roots of their challenges through storytelling, art-making, and expressive techniques. My fundamental belief is that people make sense – that every part of us, even those shaped by pain, can be understood through compassion and curiosity. I work under supervision using evidence-informed approaches including drama therapy, expressive arts, somatic therapy, and Internal Family Systems (IFS) frameworks.Aside from my clinical work, I have experience as an interdisciplinary artist and enjoy music-making, creative writing, dancing, and acting. I welcomes artists and creatives who are interested in exploring their craft in the therapeutic space.I am a white, able-bodied, English-speaking queer woman born in the southern U.S. who identifies as spiritual and not religious. I acknowledge that these identities and more may influence the dynamics of the therapeutic relationship and encourage clients to bring any concerns or questions regarding these dynamics into the therapy space.
lgbtq+ affirming therapy
I’m a queer-identifying therapist with both personal and professional experience working across the LGBTQ+ spectrum. I understand the complexities of holding multiple identities, including neurodivergence, gender expansiveness, shifting relationships with spirituality or culture, and exploring non-traditional relationship structures such as polyamory, kink, asexuality, or aromanticism.
IFS + Somatic + Trauma-focused therapy
When something overwhelms your nervous system and your ability to cope, it doesn’t stay filed away as “just a memory.” It reshapes how your brain processes threat, safety, and connection. Trauma isn’t limited to the events we traditionally label as “big” or catastrophic — it’s anything that pushes you past your capacity. That can include experiences people often minimize or normalize, like emotional neglect, attachment wounds, systemic oppression, or growing up in a dysfunctional home.Trauma often stores itself in separate pockets of sensation, emotion, and memory. This is why I use an Internal Family Systems (IFS)-informed approach, integrated with somatic and creative techniques to help you integrate these "parts" of yourself into a more coherent whole.A "trauma-focused" approach means that I look at symptoms, challenges, and patterns as potentially connected to trauma in ways that aren't always immediately obvious. Working under the supervision of a Certified Clinical Trauma Professional (CCTP), I integrate a mixture of evidence-informed approaches to work collaboratively with your body, spirit, and mind to transform these patterns at the root.
Religious Trauma + Therapy for Spiritual Issues
I have personal experience navigating spiritual challenges and faith transitions, having been raised Christian and now identifying as spiritual-but-not-religious. I have studied a variety of spiritual and religious traditions and welcome clients from all backgrounds. I especially understand how religious teachings and communities can sometimes contribute to harm, shame, or oppression — particularly for LGBTQ+ individuals — and I aim to create a space where those experiences can be acknowledged and healed. I work collaboratively with clients exploring or reclaiming their spirituality, supporting their journeys without pathologizing their spiritual beliefs, practices, or experiences.
Contact
To find out more information about insurance, rates, and availability, submit an inquiry through Leading Light Behavioral Health here: https://myleadinglight.org/staff/mary/
or email me directly at [email protected]