LMFT, 6 years of experience
New to Grow
Hi, I’m Maria, a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. I work with clients facing challenges like anxiety, depression, trauma, and life transitions. I use approaches like DBT, Psychodynamic Therapy, and Brainspotting to help people better understand themselves, build tools for coping, and make lasting changes. My goal is to create a safe, supportive space where clients feel truly heard and empowered.
Therapy can often feel scary, especially if it is your first time. The first session is all about me getting to know you and easing all of the nerves. I will ask a lot of questions, to help me better understand you and your needs. We will talk about goals and treatment plans. My goal for the first session is always to help you feel safe and heard!
One of my greatest strengths is creating a warm, safe, and nonjudgmental space where clients feel truly seen and understood. I have a natural ability to connect deeply and compassionately, while also guiding clients toward meaningful insight and change. My integrative approach, drawing from DBT and Psychodynamic Therapy, allows me to adapt to each client’s unique needs, blending practical coping tools with deeper trauma healing. I bring curiosity, patience, and a steady presence that helps clients feel supported in even the most challenging work.
My ideal clients are adults 18 and older who are ready to engage in meaningful, in-depth therapy. I particularly enjoy working with individuals who want to explore and heal from past trauma, whether recent or long-standing, and who are open to developing deeper self-awareness. I work best with clients who are motivated to look beneath the surface, process difficult experiences, and commit to personal growth at an emotional and relational level.
I use DBT to help clients build skills in emotional regulation, distress tolerance, interpersonal effectiveness, and mindfulness. I incorpoate both structured skill building and individualized support, helping clients apply BDT tools in real life situations. I help clients work through intense emotions, relationships challenges, and guide them in balancing acceptance with change to promote lasting growth.
I use a psychodynamic approach to help clients explore how past experiences, unconscious patterns, and early relationships influence their current thoughts, feelings and behaviors. Through a strong therapeutic relationship and reflective dialogue, I support clients in gaining insight, making meaningful connections and fostering deeper self understanding and emotional growth
In my practice, I use Brainspotting to help clients access and process deep emotional and somatic experiences that may be stored in the brain and body. By identifying specific eye positions, we ca locate and release trauma, stress, or emotional blocks at a neurological level. This method allows clients to process experiences in a focused yet gentle way, often leading to profound healing and long lasting change.