Hello, my name is Maria Genter Hester I am a licensed marriage family therapist they have been in private practice on and off for about 20 years. I love working with families and teens I have a specialty in postpartum mood and anxiety disorders, I also have training in dealing with perinatal loss, abortion, miscarriage and grief. I love helping people who are interested in using their faith background to further their healing and achieve the life that they want. Most of my training has been in cognitive behavioral therapy and family systems. I earned my Masters in Counseling Psychology at the University of San Francisco, I reside in San Diego. I love the outdoors, hiking beach, art, cooking, and activities with my family and friends.
I attempt to help my clients feel comfortable to enter into therapy relationship. I provide a comfortable first session gathering personal information and giving them a chance to begin sharing their story.
My niche is warm, caring and yet direct with clients. I find that many people that come to me are ready to make real change and appreciate the work I do with them in challenge thinking, mindfulness in daily life and working toward cognitive restructuring and therefore lasting behavioral change. I serve clients from all cultures and religious/faith backgrounds- I value the diverse experiences of individuals and families that I serve- I am solution oriented and encourage lasting change.
Parents, Post partum moms (babies welcome), 20-30 looking for career/love and Teens with anxiety/depression, Christian/spiritual focus/background in many religious/spiritual approaches
Other specialties
I identify as
Cash - $200 per session
Aetna
Aetna - Allied Benefits
Aetna - ASR Health Benefits
Aetna - Luminare
Aetna - Moda
Aetna - WebTPA
Aetna – HealthEZ
All Savers
AvMed
Golden Rule
Harvard Pilgrim/UnitedHealthcare
Optum
OptumHealth Complex Medical Conditions
Oscar
Oxford
Sharp Health Plan
Surest (formerly Bind)
United Medical Resources
UnitedHealthcare Life Insurance
UnitedHealthcare Shared Services
UnitedHealthcare StudentResources
UnitedHealthcare/Optum
Cognitive Behavioral (CBT)
USF degrees and training in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, guiding people to work through "roadblocks" in their thinking and behavior.
Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT)
Training in EFT and integrating into practice to increase emotional awareness and recognition into our daily lives
5 ratings with written reviews
October 15, 2025
She is open-minded, solution oriented, challenging, empowering, intelligent, authentic, and kind.
September 11, 2025
She's direct, she listens and breaks down what you're saying, she's friendly, she searches for solutions
August 5, 2025
Maria feels very genuine and accepting, knows when to dig for more information.