Find a Therapist in Potomac, MD

It is extremely important to me that therapy be an emotionally safe space for my clients where they will have the support they need to grow and change. I work to balance validation with providing education, constructive feedback, and skill building.

I listen to my clients, observe visual clues, and engage honestly. I also assign homework to ensure we’re not just talking; we’re getting better.

Feeling overwhelmed by life? Stress feels unmanageable, relationships are strained, and moving forward seems impossible. The constant weight of overwhelm can leave you physically, emotionally, and mentally exhausted. You long to make peace with a painful past but feel stuck. Unmanaged stress affects every aspect of your life—work, health, and relationships. You recognize the need for change, and starting therapy is a courageous, proactive step toward well-being. I'm here to provide a compassionate, validating space where your thoughts and feelings are heard. Together, we'll work toward healing and a more balanced, fulfilling life. I help individuals and couples navigate emotional regulation, stress, and relationship challenges through evidence-based methods like cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), mindfulness, and somatic therapy. Specializing in mood conditions, trauma, and attachment, I focus on fostering resilience and balance. Using biofeedback, I strengthen the mind-body connection to support lasting healing. Life’s challenges can feel overwhelming, but you don’t have to face them alone. Whether you’re seeking emotional balance, healing from past wounds, or strengthening your relationships, I’m here to support you. Together, we’ll create a compassionate, non-judgmental space to explore your goals and build the life you deserve. Reach out—I’m ready to help.

I work with clients experiencing a broad range of concerns, including depression, anxiety, trauma related difficulties, and substance use issues. First and foremost, I believe that you are the most expert person about you. My role is to help you create a plan to reach your goals. I am integrative in my approach, drawing from several evidence-based modalities depending on individual needs and goals. I also believe that there can be therapeutic value in humor during the hard work of therapy. You can visit my website to learn more by clicking on the link.

My philosophy and approach to helping clients is to do a thorough assessment and develop a treatment plan that is characteristic of that client and guide clients through therapy to healing. Each client has a uniqueness about them and my work is finding it and helping that client realize it and live in it. Perception is the key to understanding. Awareness is the key to realization.

Psychotherapy can help you claim and enjoy more in your life. We can all use help in finding our way at different times in our lives. You may be ready for more happiness in your life, more satisfaction, creativity, success, confidence, peace, friendships - or greater depth to your relationships. You may not have been able to find it on your own. I have experience, training, compassion and a mindful approach that can help you develop traction on the path that is truly yours. My focus is on helping you develop your ability to see yourself, your circumstances and your challenges with a fresh eye, allowing your to create the changes in your life that you really want. To the work that we can do together, I bring over fifteen years of experience as a psychotherapist, plus a depth of understanding from my experience as a husband and father and from my experience as a firefighter and paramedic. The work that I do is not about being broken or ill; it is about being more alive: * Shifting away from negative anticipation and belief in powerlessness, toward actualizing your own authentic power and vitality * Increasing creativity in your life * Living a life infused with clarity as to the abundance available to you, on place of an expectation of scarcity * Discovering the relief and pleasure in living authentically, honestly, as the "real you" * Feeling your feelings, all of them, more fully and with less fear * Finding the pleasure of taking relationships to a deeper level; enlivening friendships and reinvigorating relationships gone stale * Moving beyond the pain of the past - physical, emotional, spiritual or otherwise; letting go of outdated, limiting ideas or beliefs about yourself and finding joy in being alive. You can do this. We'll work to get you there.

Hello, I'm Maria, a marriage and family therapist trained to help you and your relationships thrive. Couples you are my specialty! I have advanced training to help you with any type of problem you may be facing. I have 20 years of experience in helping people heal both relationally and individually. I graduated from Virginia Tech, where there was an on-site clinic and the best training for resident students. My approach is through a systemic and attachment perspective. I specialize in marriage and couples counseling, and have advanced training in emotion focused therapy, which is recognized as one of the most effective approaches to resolving relational distress. I also work with families and individuals to help reach the goals you want for yourself so that you can achieve inner healing, process attachment wounds and learn how to live a healed and prosperous life. I am also trained in cognitive behavioral therapy, solution focused therapy, emotions focused individual therapy, and internal family systems. I am a board-approved clinical supervisor and I help other therapists on their journey of becoming a professional, clinical therapist. I understand how difficult reaching out for help can be and how hopeless or fearful you can be. Help is here. Reach out for a free consultation to see if I'm the right fit for you. I can't wait to meet you!

My approach to therapy is down-to-earth, practical, and solution-oriented. As a clinical psychologist I have extensive training in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and have seen many clients improve using these techniques. I have helped people overcome their problems in a variety of settings including hospitals, university counseling centers, community health clinics, and schools.

I have a deep regard and respect for a person who is on a healing journey. I look at each person individually. You come with your own unique life experiences and health goals. Through assessment and goal setting, we come up with your own unique treatment plan. My belief is we are total system and my approach is to support you in a Holistic matter; Body, Mind, and Spirit; using powerful tools, skill building, and compassion. My goal is to be a partner for you to achieve well-being.

I assist clients that have endured trauma and stress. Are you looking to find relief through compassionate and effective treatment? If you are interested in finding relief from conditions that have affected your mood, your relationships, your work, andor your habits in a negative way, call or email me now. Together, we can walk the path of recovery together until you have reached your imagined destination. Let's work on overcoming intimate partner violence, anger, toxicity, infidelity, addiction, self-hatred, codependency, shame, isolation, fear, neediness, grief, etc... ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!

Welcome! I’m so glad you are reaching out! Finding a therapist who is able to listen and understand your particular needs is key. When I meet with you for the first time, I want to learn who you are as a person. In addition to diagnosis and issues of concern, I want to know your life story. Are there patterns that recur in your life? What are your strengths? What matters to you? Once I have a good understanding, we can decide jointly what approach is likely to help you most. When you come for counseling, you want to start to feel better right away. By incorporating evidence-based coping skills from the first session, I help folks get some immediate stress relief. At the same time, we will also address any underlying issues to achieve more long-term gains.

My primary treatment approach is cognitive-behavioral which is solution-focused and generally shorter-term, however, in reality, we all generally benefit from a variety of therapeutic strategies and i will often utilize complementary and eclectic techniques that enables a more personalized treatment approach and relies on best practices for your specific issues. You will find me to be an active and engaged therapist and we will work together in a team-oriented and collaborative style. I often recommend activities to practice between sessions, and these might include a journal, trying out new communication skills and problem-solving or coping techniques that we have practiced, brief reading assignments, some research, relaxation techniques, and a variety of other options. I believe humor is an important element in the therapeutic process, and to life in general, and I strive to create a relaxing and trusting environment with my clients. I am very happy to answer any questions you might have, and if I am unsure, I will do all that I can to help point you in the right direction. I consider it an honor to assist clients on their personal journey in therapy. Participating in therapy is an important step in reclaiming your happiness and satisfaction and I take me role in providing assistance on that journey seriously as I appreciate the time, cost, and emotional investment of this choice.