Mary Beer, LCSW-S, is a Clinical Associate Professor and the Assistant Dean for Practicum Education. Before starting as an adjunct professor at the UTSHSSW in 2012, Mary worked with children and adolescents in school, residential treatment, and hospital settings. During her 16 years as a school social worker, Mary was a field instructor for numerous MSW interns placed in the Austin Independent School District.  

Mary teaches and practices primarily from a solution-focused approach. She also has experience with cognitive behavioral, motivational interviewing, sand tray, ecotherapy, and play therapies. She is a Trust-Based Relational Intervention Practitioner and Educator and is certified in the Neuro-sequential Model in Education.  

Mary is the Chair of the Texas School Social Workers Conference and the coordinator for the School-Based Social Work Certificate and the Leben Play Therapy Scholarship Programs. She has provided workshops on the topics of TBRI, compassion fatigue, sex education, push-out prevention programs, ethics, non-suicidal self-injury, suicide prevention, and group-based interventions. 

Professor Beer is licensed by the state of Texas as an LCSW-S and is a board-approved clinical supervisor. She is a member of NASW, the Council on Social Work Education and the School Social Work Association of America. 

In her free time Mary likes to spend time with her dog, run marathons, paddle board, and travel.