+ Anxiety Therapy

• When working on decreasing your anxiety, we will work together to evaluate your strengths and develop coping skills that are unique to your individual needs. I believe in providing a safe space for my clients to process their emotions while helping them learn new ways to communicate them to their loved ones.

+ Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

• Throughout my career as a psychotherapist, I have found CBT to be effective when treating diverse populations and diagnoses. I find that collaboratively using CBT with my clients leads clients to understand the connection between their thoughts, emotions and behaviors making more sustainable change in their daily lives.

+ Couples Counseling

• I provide couples counseling using the Gottman Method and a trauma informed lens. I find that integrating these methods allows couples to improve their communication skills, rebuild trust and manage conflicts in an emotionally safe space.
• Couples therapy can be beneficial at any stage of the relationship. Relationships take a lot of work and understanding to deal with stressful life situations. Whether you are struggling with communication, infidelity, loss of intimacy, or just feeling plain stuck, couples therapy can be a great tool to help you move forward. You and your partner will be able to better understand the problem, learn how to improve communication, and change problem behaviors in a healthy way. No matter the current situation, counseling can help a couple better understand each other’s needs and learn how to maintain a life of satisfaction and teamwork.
• In couples counseling, a majority of couples are having issues with their communication and understanding each other. During my sessions with my clients that are having relationship issues we focus a lot on hearing each other and listening. Most clients during their couples therapy will "halfway" listen to their partner. One thing I definitely stress during sessions is to respect each other, and to actively communicate and listen to each other. This is the best way to start working towards your goals as a couple.
• A recently engaged couple might find it a great opportunity to openly discuss future goals, hopes, and fears for the future, while a couple of many years can use therapy to find ways to help their relationship maintain its excitement and romance. I have worked with couples from all backgrounds including the LGBTQIA+ community, and work to develop a strategy that best fits the needs of each couple. Couples counseling is a great way to strengthen your relationship so you can come together during times of major life change and transition.

Common areas of concern addressed in couples counseling include issues with:

• Money
• Parenting
• Sex
• Infidelity
• In-laws
• Chronic health issues
• Infertility
• Substance use
• Emotional distance
• Frequent conflict

+ LGBTQIA+ POPULATION

• I can help clients with their coming out process, parenting a child who came out, gender or sexual identity questioning, transgender counseling, experiencing discrimination/bullying, and any other stressors that may arise.
• Your identity may not even be a stressor, but you may be looking for a therapist who you can feel comfortable seeing which is why I think it’s important to express my comfort and knowledge in working with this population. I am an ally, prefer She/Her pronouns, and prefer to be called Maria.

+ Substance Abuse Counseling

• I have had the opportunity to work with those struggling with addictions throughout multiple levels of care including Detox, Partial Hospitalization Programs, Intensive Outpatient Programs and Maintenance levels (such as outpatient psychotherapy). I have experience with both 12 step programs and SMART groups providing me with the ability to tailor the treatment to my clients needs.

+ TELEHEALTH

• Are you looking for the option of virtual therapy? I offer the option of telehealth sessions (video and phone counseling). If you are residing in New Jersey, you are eligible for telehealth services with me. Telehealth sessions are great if you have a sick child at home, you’re sick yourself, there’s a snow storm, you’re stuck at work, you’re traveling, or you just prefer to do a session while in your pajamas at home. I treat telehealth sessions as the same as in-person and find them just as beneficial in our work together. The ability to do telehealth sessions also comes with flexibility in scheduling.

+ Trauma Counseling

• In my work I have seen how trauma can impact multiple areas of a person’s life including their relationships, mental health and financial concerns. I choose to use a combination of psychoeducational skills and empathy to help my clients build the life they would like to sustain.
• I have experience providing trauma focused therapy with a focus of working with survivors of intimate partner violence and individuals impacted by intergenerational trauma. I work with my clients to promote a sense of safety, develop emotional regulation skills and help them rebuild a sense of control in their lives. I also provide psychoeducation for helping my clients understand how trauma can be passed down or sustained across cultural lines and families.