LIFT Wellness Group

LIFT Wellness Group An elevated approach to behavioral healthcare. Our patented approach to treatment planning is marked by receptivity, candor, and creativity. Ms.
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LIFT Wellness Group is a comprehensive counseling, psychiatry, nutrition, behavioral health, and family wellness company, on a mission to l i f t up your mental, physical, and emotional well-being, 'from the inside out.'

LWG realizes our dream of integrating mental and physical health services, and proves that the process of finding your happy can be personable, accessible, and approachable. In a field often dictated by managed care, impersonal providers, and disconnected parts, LWG fundamentally rejects the reductionist provider/patient model and instead, views the provider-client relationship first and foremost as a HUMAN connection, occurring in REAL space and time, where healthcare practitioners become your partners in self-inquiry. LWG's multispecialty and interdisciplinary team of providers are first, passionate, invested and highly skilled, artful and intuitive licensed clinicians, and alternately, your allies, teammates, cheerleaders, gentle guides, coaches, mediators, and accountability partners. Most importantly, LWG providers are a warm and unflinching reflection into your innermost self, where the love and happiness can at last be found. Call today and speak with a real person to learn about the LIFT difference: (203) 908-5603. ABOUT OUR FEMALE FOUNDER:

Mary Dobson, LMFT, CEDS began her career in research as a part of the CT Women’s Health Project at Yale University, where she co-authored work on the influence of pre-natal depression and attachment on adolescent and young adult women. Dobson is the principal/founder of LIFT Wellness Group. Dobson received her master's in Marriage and Family Therapy from Fairfield University, where she was a member of Psi Chi and Phi Betta Kappa. She is among the first MFTs in the country to obtain a unique post-graduate certification in the provision of family-focused school-based mental health services, making her a unique asset as an advocate for children and families working to receive fair and appropriate school-based behavioral and educational interventions. Dobson is one of a few select practitioners in Fairfield County certified as an eating disorder treatment expert through the International Association of Eating Disorder Professionals. Dobson is the founding regional director of nationwide eating disorder facilities, where she recruited, trained, and spearheaded teams providing the highest quality psychiatric, dietary, behavioral health, pharmacological, and medical interventions to adolescents ages 10-18. Dobson draws from an impressive case history of success providing individual, family, and group therapy in both residential treatment programs and private practice settings. She utilizes a multifaceted approach that includes cognitive behavioral therapy, insight-based therapy, narrative therapy, and family systems work. Dobson has served as the founding CT Chapter President of the International Association of Eating Disorder Professionals. She has worked as a regional school consultant on adolescent issues and lectures to area students and parents on bullying, anxiety, body image, self-esteem, social media, eating disorder prevention work, truancy and school avoidance, educational disabilities and outplacement advocacy, and drugs/alcohol. Dobson is passionate about helping adolescents and their families navigate through pivotal periods of transition with open communication, mutual respect, and sound physical and mental health. Dobson is available for media and speaking engagements and contributes regularly to local radio, tv, periodicals, and journals. Dobson enjoys hosting and facilitating live assemblies, retreats, and webinars for schools, organizations, and corporate teams. In addition to overseeing LIFT, Mary Dobson maintains a small but diverse caseload, engaging in deep/intensive work with her other passion projects which include:

couples
positive parenting
coaching and consulting
women/attention deficit disorder
industrial/organizational psychology
victims of narcissistic abuse
family reunification work
executives/burnout

The surgeon general equates the physical toll resulting from the epidemic of loneliness as equivalent to smoking one pac...
03/22/2026

The surgeon general equates the physical toll resulting from the epidemic of loneliness as equivalent to smoking one pack of ci******es per day. In her response to this modern dilemma, our friend has given us . Today, Westport founder/psychotherapist Mary Dobson and author/brand builder Michelle Garside hosted Dr Sylvia, all the way from Geneva, for the CT Launch of ‘Lonely AF’ at LiftWell’s Westport CT campus. The event was a spirit-invigorating, heartfelt tribute to the power of genuine human connection. Participants were taught to seek connection internally, through insight-cultivated self-compassion, as well as through somatic practices that ground the nervous system in the present moment, where curiosity and interest in others through the sacred act of clearly noticing can be found. Mary Dobson closed the fireside author chat by reminding participants that intimacy, approval and acceptance begin within. We commend our friend Dr Sylvia for redefining loneliness as a signal, and a vehicle, to return to self. Comment, like and share this post (and tag !) for a chance to win one of the two remaining copies of the book left from today, for pickup at LiftWell this week! ‘Lonely AF’ and its accompanying workbook can also be purchased anywhere books are sold. This book is truly a love letter to anyone who has felt the pang of disconnection from others, or even more urgently, from self. It was our honor and privilege to help introduce it to our community today 🫶🏼

Westport psychotherapist and LiftWell founder/CEO Mary Dobson (Class of ‘07), will serve as Judge at the 16th Annual Sta...
03/14/2026

Westport psychotherapist and LiftWell founder/CEO Mary Dobson (Class of ‘07), will serve as Judge at the 16th Annual StartUp Fairfield showcase, hosted by the
Charles F. Dolan School of Business, at the
Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts. The event will bring together student founders who pitch their businesses to an investor panel for seed funding on the evening of April 26, 2026. The annual StartUp Showcase has become a launchpad for student entrepreneurs, many of whom have gone on to grow successful businesses. New for this year’s StartUp Showcase, six teams will compete across two tracks: bootstrap companies and scalable ventures. Bootstrap businesses launch with minimal startup capital—often from a credit card or bank loan—and grow through consumer revenue; they are common in retail, clothing, and food service industries. Scalable ventures, by contrast, are designed for rapid growth and typically seek significant outside investment, as seen in many technology startups. Dobson brings unique experience as the founder of a CT-based Bootstrapped company that went on to become a Scalable venture. For more information about the April 23 showcase event, visit Fairfield.edu/startup.


Throwback Thursday to the wonderful Grand Rounds event last week at , put together by Michelle Pagnotta, LPC, Dean Evely...
03/12/2026

Throwback Thursday to the wonderful Grand Rounds event last week at , put together by Michelle Pagnotta, LPC, Dean Evelyn Bilias Lolis, PhD, and Dr Jocelyn Novella, with Fairfield alum, Westport psychotherapist Mary Dobson, ‘07. These women are equally committed to continuing education for multidisciplinary clinicians, as well as providing rich, thoughtful and progressive community engagement opportunities for the general public, through the platform of the university. This event provided invigorating and intellectually curious conversations among like-minded providers- opportunities for which we are always grateful! 🦌

In great company! On Friday, March 6, Mary Dobson, LMFT, CEDS took part in a multidisciplinary expert panel at Grand Rou...
03/07/2026

In great company! On Friday, March 6, Mary Dobson, LMFT, CEDS took part in a multidisciplinary expert panel at Grand Rounds, celebrating the inauguration of Fairfield University’s newest post-graduate specialty track within the Fairfield University School of Education & Human Development.

03/07/2026

This morning, LiftWell founder and Westport psychotherapist Mary Dobson served on a multidisciplinary expert panel at Grand Rounds, celebrating the inauguration of Fairfield University’s newest post-graduate specialty track within the Fairfield University School of Education & Human Development.
In this clip, Dobson describes one of the primary structural vulnerabilities in eating disorder treatment: fragmentation of care.
Fragmentation of care occurs both horizontally and vertically within the treatment system. Horizontally, when members of the multidisciplinary team: therapists, physicians, dietitians, psychiatrists, schools, and families, operate in parallel silos rather than in an integrated clinical framework. Vertically, when patients move up and down levels of care: outpatient, IOP, PHP, residential, without sufficient continuity of treatment philosophy, communication, or therapeutic alliance between programs.
Eating disorders are uniquely adept at exploiting these fractures to self-maintain.
When care becomes episodic, poorly coordinated, or philosophically misaligned, the illness can become the most consistent voice in the system.
The clinical task, therefore, is not simply symptom reduction; it’s the construction of a coherent treatment ecosystem in which providers communicate frequently, align strategically, and maintain unified goals and continuity across settings.
While recovery is rarely linear, the treatment architecture surrounding patients must be stable enough to contain the complexity of the illness and set patients up for success.

Over-control disorders don’t only present in adults - they are present in children, too. In Westport psychotherapist and...
03/05/2026

Over-control disorders don’t only present in adults - they are present in children, too. In Westport psychotherapist and LiftWell Health founder Mary Dobson’s recent article in , she addresses how often youth with over-controlled constitutions are frequently overlooked and under-supported- until their unsustainable habits and behaviors result in crises or maladaptive secondary symptoms, which function as a cry for help from those who are not accustomed to asking for (or requiring) assistance.

During Eating Disorder Awareness Week, we’re not just raising awareness, we’re raising the standard of care.I’m honored ...
03/01/2026

During Eating Disorder Awareness Week, we’re not just raising awareness, we’re raising the standard of care.

I’m honored to return to my alma mater Fairfield University for Grand Rounds on the Ethics of Eating Disorder Treatment: a conversation about the real, often unseen decisions that shape outcomes for patients and families every day.

In this field, it’s not just what we do, it’s how we think, lead, and hold complexity in the room that defines great care.

If you’re a clinician who wants to deepen your thinking, expand your lens, and elevate your practice, join us. (And earn a CE 👏)

There’s a whole lotta love at LiftWell! Chief Clinical Officer Andrea Ciarlelli LMFT organized a staff “love fest,” and ...
02/28/2026

There’s a whole lotta love at LiftWell! Chief Clinical Officer Andrea Ciarlelli LMFT organized a staff “love fest,” and throughout the month, team members took turns leaving anonymous words of affirmation for one another around our space! We are so fortunate to have a team that truly cherishes one another and brings full hearts to work every day. Healthcare roles can be marked by burnout, and it’s never been more essential for workplaces to be supportive, safe, and caring, in order for us to effectively do the deep clinical work that we do with clients. ❤️

LiftWell CEO and Westport psychotherapist Mary Dobson, LMFT, CEDS () presented to   parents this morning on what truly d...
02/28/2026

LiftWell CEO and Westport psychotherapist Mary Dobson, LMFT, CEDS () presented to parents this morning on what truly defines college readiness, and how parents can prepare teens to meet the moment.

This is not about transcripts; it’s about whether a child can manage stress, advocate for themselves, and navigate independence.

Dobson created the SHEER Inventory™ and College Contracts to give families clear, supportive roadmaps for successful retention.

Our goal is not just mastering college admissions… it’s building healthy, capable young adults. Let’s raise kids who can handle the life they’re working so hard to build! 💪🏻📚

Thank you, Fusion Academy, for the invitation, and for the work you’re doing to build resilient, prepared teens and families.

Alternative school, alternative learning, resilient teens, college prep, parent support, strong families, college admissions, healthy teens, college retention.

Caregiving a loved one with a mental health condition requires so much of your mind, your heart, and your emotions. Lift...
02/27/2026

Caregiving a loved one with a mental health condition requires so much of your mind, your heart, and your emotions. LiftWell hosts a very special weekly supportive space to CARE for the CAREGIVERS. ❤️‍🩹 This free and confidential virtual support group is run by seasoned, licensed therapists, and integrates somatic practices, self-care, and honest connection. DM us for the zoom link- all are welcomed. Take care of yourselves. Sending love and comfort to all of the caregivers.

Mental health recovery, eating disorder treatment, eating disorder recovery, caregivers, self care, codependency, nervous system regulation, help for healers, mental health treatment, virtual support group, free support group.

Join Westport psychotherapist and LiftWell Health CEO Mary Dobson, LMFT, CEDS, brand architect, speaker and author  , an...
02/25/2026

Join Westport psychotherapist and LiftWell Health CEO Mary Dobson, LMFT, CEDS, brand architect, speaker and author , and the talented Dr Sylvia Kalincinski for the Connecticut launch party of Sylvia’s new book, Lonely AF: A Therapist’s No BS Guide to Feeling Less Alone.

This isn’t your typical book event. Think: cocktails, mocktails, light bites, panel, Q&A, real conversation, and best of all, a room full of brilliant and intentional humans who are done performing and ready to connect deeply.

We’ll laugh, go deep, probably cry (in the best way.) And, no one is leaving this gathering feeling lonely- that’s the whole point.

📖 Your ticket includes a copy of the book
🍸 Food + drinks on us
🫶🏼 Saturday, March 21 | 3–6 PM
📍 Lift Wellness Group, Westport CT

Grab your ticket before we sell out 👇
https://lnkd.in/eapKDNz6

Bring your person. Bring yourself. 🤍

Address

8 Myrtle Avenue
Westport, CT
06880

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