Prairie St. John's - Mary Onungwe
Licensed Addiction Counselor
Mary has dual licenses to work with mentally ill and chemically dependent patients. Her approach to counseling is based on existentialism; a philosophical view and attitude that emphasizes the importance of existence, freedom, meaningfulness in life, authenticity, responsibility to self and others, the primacy of here and now; installation of hope and the use of experience to search for knowledge. Mary believes that counseling is both a helping relationship and a process of change; counselor and clients work on identified problems in a collaborative manner developing a plan, review progress toward goals, assess symptoms and focus on immediate objectives. What the patient brings to the relationship is valued and the willingness to change certain behaviors is a regular and timely manner is encouraged.
Away from Prairie, Mary enjoys reading, exercise, and spending time with family and friends.
Special Clinical Interests
- Mental Illness
- Individual Therapy
- Chemical Dependency
- Group Therapy
- Women’s Issues in Recovery
- Humanistic & Existential Therapy
- Adolescents & Substance Abuse
- Family Therapy
Education
- Master’s Degree: Clinical Mental Health Counseling
North Dakota State University
Fargo, ND - Bachelor’s Degree: Child & Family Science
North Dakota State University
Fargo, ND
Licensure
- ND State Board of Counselor Examiners
- ND Board of Addiction Counselor Examiners
Professional Membership
- American Counseling Association (ACA)