- Years in practice
- 13
- Credentials
- LMFT
- Licensed in
- California
- Languages
- English, Spanish
- Focus
- Stress, Anxiety
- Focus
- Trauma and abuse
- Focus
- Anger management
About Maria
Maria Ward is a licensed marriage and family therapist in California with 13 years of experience. She focuses on helping people facing stress, anxiety, mood changes, grief, and parenting challenges. She also supports those dealing with addiction, relationship problems, and issues around self-esteem and career transitions.
Maria keeps sessions focused and practical. She listens first, then offers tools that people can use between meetings. Her work blends straightforward skills with attention to feelings and attachment patterns.
Background and approach
Sessions can include talks about boundaries, communication, and ways to manage strong emotions. Many people come to her for help after trauma, and she draws on trauma-informed strategies to guide recovery. She also uses approaches that help people clarify values, shift unhelpful thoughts, and strengthen close relationships.
Maria offers services in both English and Spanish to meet diverse needs. Her background includes long-term clinical practice in California and a focus on parenting concerns among adults seeking support. Maria emphasizes collaboration - she treats each person as the expert on their life and helps them build on existing strengths.
She aims to make therapy a practical part of daily life. Starting therapy with Maria typically involves identifying immediate goals and choosing techniques that suit a person's routine and preferences. Over time clients work on patterns that cause stress, improve communication, and develop more consistent ways to cope with life’s changes.
What Maria works with
Everything Maria lists, in the therapist's own terms. Parenting is the reason this directory exists; the rest shows what else Maria helps people with.
- Stress, Anxiety
- Trauma and abuse
- Anger management
- Depression
- Addictions
- Relationship issues
- Family conflicts
- Grief
- Intimacy-related issues
- Eating disorders
- Parenting issues
- Self esteem
- Career difficulties
- Bipolar disorder
- Coping with life changes
- Compassion fatigue
- ADHD
- Abandonment
- Adoption and foster care
- Aging and geriatric issues
- Attachment issues
- Blended family issues
- Body image
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Codependency
- Commitment issues
- Communication problems
- Control issues
- Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMDD)
- Divorce and separation
- Domestic violence
- Drug and alcohol addiction
- Eating and food-related issues
- Emptiness
- Family of origin issues
- Family problems
- Fertility issues
- Forgiveness
- Guilt and shame
- Hospice and end-of-life counseling
- Impulsivity
- Infidelity
- Isolation / loneliness
- Jealousy
- Life purpose
- Midlife crisis
- Veteran and Armed Forces Issues
- Mood disorders
- Multicultural concerns
- Obsessions, compulsions, and OCD
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Paranoia
- Phobias
- Postpartum depression
- Post-traumatic stress
- Prejudice and discrimination
- Self-harm
- Self-love
- Sexual assault and abuse
- Smoking / vaping cessation
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Women's issues
- Young adult issues
Approaches Maria lists
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
- Attachment-Based Therapy
- Client-Centered Therapy
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT)
- Existential Therapy
- Gottman Method
- Jungian Therapy
- Mindfulness Therapy
- Motivational Interviewing
- Solution-Focused Therapy
- Trauma-Focused Therapy
- Internal Family Systems
Listing an approach is not evidence of training in it. This directory copies what each therapist names and does not check training records.
Therapeutic approaches and online support
Maria uses Acceptance and Commitment Therapy to help people clarify personal values and take small, meaningful actions toward them while learning to sit with difficult feelings. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is also part of her toolkit and it focuses on identifying and changing unhelpful thoughts and behaviors to reduce anxiety and mood symptoms.Choosing the right approach is a shared process. She will talk with clients about their goals, past experiences, and what feels most useful, then tailor methods together. That collaboration helps people try techniques that fit their day-to-day life and parenting needs.
Online therapy options include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging. Video is useful for in-depth work and face-to-face connection, phone can be easier when bandwidth is limited, live chat is good for shorter check-ins, and messaging allows ongoing reflection between sessions. These formats make it easier to fit therapy into busy schedules and to keep momentum while working on change.
Questions people ask about Maria
What concerns does Maria commonly address?
She works with stress, anxiety, depression, trauma and abuse, anger, addictions, relationship and intimacy issues, grief, self-esteem, and parenting challenges among other concerns.
How would you describe her therapeutic style?
Her approach is collaborative and practical, combining skills practice with attention to feelings and relationship patterns to help people manage day-to-day challenges.
What is her professional background?
Maria has 13 years of clinical experience and has worked extensively with adults facing mood shifts, trauma recovery, addiction, and parenting struggles.
What credentials and location are on record?
She holds a California LMFT credential and practices in California.
Which languages are supported for sessions?
Sessions are offered in English and Spanish, and she accepts international clients.
What session formats are available?
Therapy is offered via video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging to fit different schedules and preferences.
How does payment and cost work?
Costs vary with location and therapist availability; sessions use a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.
How do I begin working with her?
Start by selecting the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and then schedule sessions according to the therapist's availability.
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