A passionate and innovative mental health professional with ten years of mental health experience and five years in a clinical setting generating diagnoses, treatment plans, and psychotherapy. Maricela provides Psychotherapy for individuals who struggle with intense mental health issues such as Anxiety, Depression, Self-injury, Body Image, Trauma/Stress-related disorders, Mood Disorders, and Suicidality. Ms. Ponce also conducts research evidence-based training and presentations on diverse mental health topics and specializes in suicidality screenings, risk assessments, and therapeutic approaches for gender sexual minorities (GSM). Ms. Ponce is passionate about mental health, advocating and educating is her motto. In 2024, The Rio Grande Valley Counseling Association in Texas awarded Maricela the Licensed Professional Counselor of the Year for her consistent mental health advocacy.
What can clients expect to take away from sessions with you?
My approach is like a journey in which you are in the driver's seat, and I am your copilot. We are on this journey together, and as a team, we will explore what skills and strategies best fit you on this journey. Before identifying the necessary tools, we will explore the hurdles, barriers, and experiences keeping you from enjoying everyday activities.
Explain to clients what areas you feel are your biggest strengths.
My clients have shared that I provide a safe, supportive, and welcoming space. Other clients have shared that I am a great listener and that they feel comfortable sharing their thoughts and feelings, knowing there will not be any judgment in their session. I firmly believe in creating a supportive and nonjudgmental space for every client in every session.
Describe the client(s) you are best positioned to serve.
Tweens & Teens: I enjoy working with tweens or teens. These stages can be exciting and frustrating for adolescents and parents. Tweens often struggle with the new rigor of balancing academics, puberty, body image, and social acceptance. Once tweens transition to high school, the stress of balancing academic responsibilities and social acceptance does not stop. Instead, it increases along with other new worries. Sometimes, your adolescent needs someone else not part of their circle of trust to guide them through discovery and exploration in a therapeutic setting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Your child has many strengths that are yet to be discovered. As their guide, I can help them identify strengths that will assist them in overcoming barriers and challenging situations. I am here to support and empower not only your teen on this journey but also you, the parent. You are not alone. Young Adults: Transitioning into a young adult is not a simple one, and current research highlights the present struggles of 20- to 30-year-olds, which is a combination of life transition—career decisions, college, finances, planning for the future, and relationships. Having thoughts of uncertainty about your future, money, college, or employment increases stress and, in return, interrupts your focus, concentration, and motivation, leading to feelings of being "STUCK," depression, anxiety, and sadness. I have had the opportunity to help many young adults recalibrate their life compass and re-establish their center. As your co-captain, I will guide you through your therapeutic journey, helping you discover your strengths or build new skills to get unstuck. You don't have to go through this stage of your life alone. Older Adults: You will spend more than half of your life as an adult, and through the many trials and tribulations, you will gain experiences, learn skills, and work through your tough times. However, moments, situations, or events are so overwhelming that you lose yourself. Life is uncertain, including illness, divorce, employment, relationships, and family. These life events can affect other elements of one's life, such as one's emotional, mental, and physical health. Asking for help does not mean you are weak; asking for help means loving yourself enough to feel better about who you are, who you would like to become, or what you would like to change so you can love yourself again and continue your journey.
About Maricela Ponce
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VirtualMy treatment methods
Acceptance and commitment (ACT)
Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) is an evidence-based psychological intervention that uses mindfulness and cognitive-behavioral techniques to help people accept their thoughts and feelings without judgment and then use that acceptance to commit to taking action in line with their personal values. ACT is based on the idea that if you can accept your experience and commit to taking action in line with your values, you will increase your psychological flexibility. ACT encourages clients to accept those things that are out of their control and commit to other thoughts and actions designed to enrich their lives. Rather than feeling guilty about having negative thoughts or feelings, clients learn that negative emotions are perfectly natural. When they are able to accept the negative parts of their consciousness, patients are more free to start moving away from them and toward a more positive direction. The goal of ACT is to increase psychological flexibility. Practitioners help patients become more aware of how they think and feel through mindfulness exercises and strategies. They also focus on creating lasting behavioral changes by committing to new actions and thought patterns. Clients learn to accept their thoughts as they are and to evaluate those thoughts to determine whether they are serving the client's life goals. If the thoughts are not serving them, clients can work to instill new, more positive thoughts and actions.
Cognitive Behavioral (CBT)
Cognitive-behavioral therapy is a type of structured talk therapy—or psychotherapy—that helps clients become more aware of negative or false thoughts. In a limited number of sessions, CBT gives its patients a clearer perspective on the world around them. This helps them respond to negative situations more positively and effectively. CBT can be used alongside other forms of therapy or on its own.One of the most significant benefits of CBT is that it helps you become aware of harmful or negative thought patterns that influence your feelings and behavior. Many times, cognitive distortions and inaccurate beliefs that we have about ourselves and others can happen automatically and turn into self-defeating behaviors that harm our mental health. CBT helps you recognize this type of negative thinking so you can transform it into something more balanced, accurate, and positive.Once you’ve identified negative thoughts, feelings and behaviors that harm your mental wellness, CBT can give you new coping mechanisms to deal with stressful situations. This might include evidence-based techniques like cognitive restructuring, goal management, behavioral activation, mindfulness and self-monitoring, journaling, communication skills and more. These have also been found to be successful in helping overcome emotional trauma such as abuse or violence.
Collaborative Management and Assessment of Suicidality (CAMS)
CAMS is an empirically validated treatment application of suicide-focused care. CAMS is widely acknowledged as the most effective treatment for suicidal thoughts. CAMS treatment is known for the following: quickly reduces suicidal ideation in 6-8 sessions, reduces overall symptom distress, and depression, and reliably reduces suicidal ideation, increases hope and improves clinical retention to care, is relatively easy to learn, adapts, implement, and become adherent, is optimal for the largest population — people with serious thoughts and ideations of suicide and decreases Emergency Department (ED) visits among certain subgroups and appears to have a promising impact on self-harm behavior and suicide attempts.
Dialectical Behavior (DBT)
DBT focuses on teaching people skills to manage intense emotions, cope with challenging situations, and improve their relationships. It encourages people to learn and use mindfulness training in practical ways. During individual and group sessions, therapists encourage a nonjudgmental attitude and emphasize acceptance, compassion, and other aspects of mindfulness. DBT has a proven track record for addressing the most debilitating symptoms of borderline personality disorder: self-injury and suicide threats or attempts. It is now also used to treat depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, eating disorders, and substance use disorders. DBT skills training can help anyone navigate emotionally charged situations with more ease. The one-on-one sessions are combined with weekly group sessions led by a therapist who teaches specific, interconnected skills and gives homework that helps to reinforce the skills. Clients are encouraged to keep a daily diary to track their emotions, behaviors, reactions, and examples of how they're practicing their skills. DBT is effective for people ranging from adolescents to older adults with a range of mental health conditions
Gender-affirming therapy
Gender Affirming Therapy is a range of interventions that support and affirm a person's gender identity when it differs from their assigned gender at birth. It can include medical, psychological, behavioral, and social interventions and can be life-saving. Gender-affirming care can help people Alleviate gender dysphoria, Reduce the risk of depression and suicidality, and Live without harassment or other.