Mary Kate McDonnell
Clinical therapist intern
Mary Kate (she/her) is a graduate social work intern at Third Eye Counseling, completing her MSW at Loyola University Chicago. She came to this work through a deep belief in the power of human connection, and through her own experience of how transformative therapy can be when you're in the thick of adulthood: navigating work, relationships, identity, and everything in between.
Before training as a therapist, Mary Kate spent over a decade in high-pressure professional environments - first as a teacher in Chicago schools, then as a consultant at a demanding firm. Those years gave her a wide lens on how people move through stress, uncertainty, and change. They also gave her a firsthand understanding of what it takes to stay grounded and connected to yourself when the world around you is demanding a lot. She knows what it's like to be over-functioning and still find yourself asking: how do I keep going without work crushing my soul?
In her work with clients, Mary Kate brings warmth, curiosity, a little humor, and a genuinely analytical and inquisitive mind. She believes therapy works best when it feels like a true collaboration: a space where you can exhale, think out loud, and slowly become more of an expert on yourself. She is comfortable sitting in the hard stuff, helping you move from intellectualization into a deeper sense of self.
She is drawn to working with adults navigating life transitions, burnout, identity, relationships, loneliness, and anxiety. Her approach is relational and strengths-based, drawing on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and person-centered principles, and somatic approaches. At the core of her practice is the belief that human connection has the power to change things, and that you are more resilient than you know.
Mary Kate is available to provide services in Illinois, Connecticut, and Massachusetts.
Email to schedule or Make an Appointment with Mary Kate