Hi! I'm Mary Katherine.
I’m a licensed marriage and family therapist based in Greenville, South Carolina, and I help people like you experience breakthroughs when life feels overwhelming.
Some people come to me because they want a safe, LGBTQ+ affirming space where they can feel seen and supported while exploring their identity, relationships, and goals. Others reach out for specialized support with religious trauma and faith deconstruction, an abortion experience, OCD, being a highly sensitive person (HSP), or relationship conflict.
Whatever your reasons for seeking therapy, together we’ll uncover what’s keeping you stuck and reclaim your sense of self and sense of purpose.
Decades of research show that the strongest predictor of progress in therapy isn’t a specific technique or tool—it’s the relationship between therapist and client.
When you trust your therapist and feel safe with them, you can find the confidence to share openly and explore deeply. As you experience what it’s like to be understood and supported, the isolation and shame that come with struggle begin to loosen their grip, and real growth and change can take root.
For that kind of connection to be possible, therapy has to be inclusive. Healing requires that your identity is affirmed, your choices are respected, and your story is welcomed in full.
That’s why I practice as a queer affirming, feminist, and pro-choice therapist.
With acceptance at the core, therapy can become a place of hope, resilience, and change.
I believe healing is rooted in connection.
Feminist
As a feminist therapist, I recognize how societal pressures, gender dynamics, and systemic inequalities can impact mental health.
My approach focuses on helping you feel empowered to live a life rooted in your values rather than external expectations.
LGBTQ+ Affirming
Therapy should be a safe space where you can show up exactly as you are. I’m not part of the LGBTQ+ community, but I’m committed to being an ally and advocate.
My goal as an LGBTQ+ inclusive therapist is to create a space where you can be your most authentic self.
Pro-Choice
I’m a pro-choice therapist who believes in respecting your autonomy and right to self-determination.
In our work, you’ll find a compassionate space to share your story and process your experience without judgment.
You’re willing to let therapy be about living well, not fixing every problem or symptom.
You’d rather collaborate with a therapist than be told exactly what to do.
You’re open to big questions without simple answers, making room for gray areas and trusting the process of exploration.
You enjoy when therapy includes metaphors, imagery, or philosophical conversations that spark new perspectives.
You’re curious about how your identity, culture, and belief systems shape the way you see yourself and the world.
Get to Know Me
My favorite cup of coffee in Greenville:
A plain cappuccino from The Village Grind
My favorite poem:
“Still I Rise” by Maya Angelou
My Dog:
A maltipoo named Mochi
If I weren’t a therapist, I’d be:
A philosophy professor
My Mantra:
“I am who I am becoming.”
My favorite flower:
Hydrangea (but I love so many!)
Some of my values
(in no particular order):
Compassion, hope, learning, accountability
Therapy isn’t about finding the “right” way to live.
It’s about creating a life that feels authentic and meaningful.
Because of that, I won’t pretend to have all the answers. Instead, we’ll figure them out together by uncovering what’s important to you and taking steps toward it.
“Mary Katherine Lance's compassionate and warm nature coupled with her knowledge of religious trauma make her a deeply supportive therapist who helps clients feel both understood and empowered.”
—Jordan Hemphill, LMSW
(Ellie Mental Health)
Acceptance & Commitment Therapy
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)—pronounced like the word “act”—helps you embrace all parts of yourself.
What is ACT?
In fact, trying to control your inner world usually makes life harder.
Instead, ACT invites you to:
- Notice your inner experience instead of battling it
- Accept what shows up, even when it’s painful
- Choose value-driven actions that create the life you want
That shift can feel overwhelming at first—especially if you’ve been at war with yourself for years.
That’s where counseling helps. I provide a safe space to practice this new way of relating to yourself.
Why ACT?
Instead of teaching you to eliminate or “fix” difficult thoughts and feelings, ACT shows you how to make space for them while moving toward what matters most in your life.
Imagine we’re standing at the edge of a cliff and I say, “Don’t feel anxious. If you do, I’ll push you off.”
What happens? Anxiety shows up immediately—even with your life on the line.
Or if I said, “Don’t think about this cliff. If you do, I’ll push you off.”
Of course, the thought pops in.
You cannot control thoughts and emotions on command.
But we tell ourselves, and we’re told by others, that that’s what we’re supposed to do.
“If you’re sad, replace it with happiness.” “If you think something unkind about yourself, argue with it until it disappears.”
When those strategies don’t work, we can feel like a failure.
The Core Skills of ACT
ACT is built around six connected and overlapping processes that help people create lasting change:
- Mindfulness
Engaging intentionally and nonjudgmentally with your internal experience
- Acceptance
Willingly experiencing feelings, thoughts, and sensations—even when uncomfortable—in service of what matters
- Committed Action
Taking purposeful steps even small ones, that move you toward a life of meaning
- Cognitive Defusion
Learning to “unhook” from unhelpful thoughts by seeing them as just thoughts, not commands or absolute truths
- Values
Clarifying the qualities that matter most to you and using them as a compass
- Self-As-Context
Recognizing that you are the place where thoughts and feelings happen, not just the sum of whatever thoughts and feelings show up