- Thoughts and habits
- English and Spanish
- CA LMFT
About Maria
Maria Ward is a licensed marriage and family therapist in California with 13 years of experience. She speaks English and Spanish and focuses on helping people who feel overwhelmed by stress, anxiety, mood shifts, or problems after trauma. Maria centers conversations on what matters most to each person and helps build practical strategies for daily life.
She uses a variety of approaches to guide work on thoughts and everyday habits that shape mood and behavior. Sessions often include clear tools for handling worry, managing strong emotions, and coping with life changes. Maria emphasizes collaboration and respects each person as the expert on their own story.
Maria has supported people facing relationship strain, parenting challenges, grief, addiction concerns, and shifts in career or identity. Her background includes work with issues around attachment, body image, caregiving stress, and commitment and communication problems. She aims to offer steady support while helping clients identify realistic next steps.
In the room she listens, asks targeted questions, and practices skills alongside the person to strengthen habits that matter. Progress often looks like small, repeated changes - new ways to respond to stress, clearer communication, and more manageable daily routines. Maria encourages people to take one step at a time and adjust the plan to fit their life.
To begin, she asks people to reflect on immediate goals and what feels most urgent. From there she helps build a plan focused on sustainable habits, clearer thinking, and better emotional balance.
She uses a variety of approaches to guide work on thoughts and everyday habits that shape mood and behavior. Sessions often include clear tools for handling worry, managing strong emotions, and coping with life changes. Maria emphasizes collaboration and respects each person as the expert on their own story.
Maria has supported people facing relationship strain, parenting challenges, grief, addiction concerns, and shifts in career or identity. Her background includes work with issues around attachment, body image, caregiving stress, and commitment and communication problems. She aims to offer steady support while helping clients identify realistic next steps.
In the room she listens, asks targeted questions, and practices skills alongside the person to strengthen habits that matter. Progress often looks like small, repeated changes - new ways to respond to stress, clearer communication, and more manageable daily routines. Maria encourages people to take one step at a time and adjust the plan to fit their life.
To begin, she asks people to reflect on immediate goals and what feels most urgent. From there she helps build a plan focused on sustainable habits, clearer thinking, and better emotional balance.
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
AddictionsRelationship issuesFamily conflictsGriefIntimacy-related issuesEating disordersParenting issuesSelf esteemCareer difficultiesBipolar disorderCoping with life changesCompassion fatigueADHD
Additional focus areas
AbandonmentAdoption and foster careAging and geriatric issuesAttachment issuesBlended family issuesBody imageCaregiver issues and stressCodependencyCommitment issuesCommunication problemsControl issuesDisruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMDD)Divorce and separationDomestic violenceDrug and alcohol addictionEating and food-related issuesEmptinessFamily of origin issuesFamily problemsFertility issuesForgivenessGuilt and shameHospice and end-of-life counselingImpulsivityInfidelityIsolation / lonelinessJealousyLife purposeMidlife crisisVeteran and Armed Forces IssuesMood disordersMulticultural concernsObsessions, compulsions, and OCDPanic disorder and panic attacksParanoiaPhobiasPostpartum depressionPost-traumatic stressPrejudice and discriminationSelf-harmSelf-loveSexual assault and abuseSmoking / vaping cessationSocial anxiety and phobiaWomen's issuesYoung adult issues
Therapeutic approaches
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)Attachment-Based TherapyClient-Centered TherapyCognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT)Existential TherapyGottman MethodJungian TherapyMindfulness TherapyMotivational InterviewingSolution-Focused TherapyTrauma-Focused TherapyInternal Family Systems
Experience
13+ years
Credentials
California
Languages
English, Spanish
Approaches that guide online sessions
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, or ACT, helps people notice difficult thoughts and feelings without letting them control actions. It emphasizes values and small actions that fit what matters most, which can help with anxiety, depression, and coping with life changes.Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, focuses on how thoughts, feelings, and behaviors link together. Sessions use simple exercises and practice to change unhelpful thinking patterns and daily habits that contribute to stress or low mood.
Attachment-Based Therapy looks at patterns in close relationships and helps people understand how early bonds affect current feelings and reactions. It can be useful for intimacy issues, attachment concerns, and improving communication.
Finding the right approach is part of the work. The therapist will discuss goals, preferences, and the issues you bring and will collaborate to choose methods that fit your needs. That process may include trying a few techniques to see what feels most helpful.
If you are considering online work, confirm the current session options before booking. Online sessions can make it easier to fit therapy into a busy schedule, reduce commuting time, and allow shorter check-ins when needed. They can also make it simpler to access care across time zones for international clients.
Frequently asked questions
What concerns does Maria often help with?
She works with stress, anxiety, trauma and abuse, anger, depression, addictions, grief, intimacy and relationship problems, parenting and self-esteem challenges, and related areas listed in her profile.
How would you describe her therapeutic style?
Her style is collaborative and practical, focusing on thoughts and everyday habits. She listens, offers tools, and works together to build new routines and coping skills.
What kind of experience does she bring?
She has 13 years of professional experience working with people facing mood shifts, trauma, parenting challenges, addiction, and relationship concerns.
What credentials and location are on record?
She is a licensed marriage and family therapist, CA LMFT, practicing in California.
Which languages are supported in sessions?
Sessions are offered in English and Spanish.
Can international clients work with her?
She accepts international clients according to her profile; confirm scheduling and time zone arrangements when you begin.
How does payment and cost work?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability; sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
What are the first steps to start therapy?
Select the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule according to therapist availability.