Maria Ward , LMFT

Maria Ward is a licensed marriage and family therapist (LMFT) practicing in California with 13 years of clinical experience. She brings focused training in Trauma Focus, a trauma-centered treatment modality, and has helped people manage stress, anxiety, trauma, and abuse across diverse life stages. Her background includes work with parents facing child and family challenges, individuals struggling with anger management and mood shifts, couples and families navigating relationship issues, and people coping with depression, addiction, and interpersonal difficulties.

Maria approaches therapy from a collaborative, strengths-based stance, recognizing that each person is the expert of their own story. She aims to offer practical tools and supportive guidance to help clients build coping skills and reach their goals. Sessions emphasize listening, partnership, and skill building so clients can address challenges such as communication problems, parenting stress, grief, intimacy concerns, and life transitions.

Fluent in English and Spanish, Maria works with individuals and families from varied backgrounds. As an LMFT she holds professional licensure to provide marriage and family therapy in California, and she draws on trauma-informed methods and relational approaches to tailor care to each client’s needs.

Approaches That Guide Online Therapy and Support

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps clients notice thoughts and feelings without getting stuck in them, and supports taking meaningful action aligned with personal values. It is often used for anxiety, stress, and life transitions. Attachment-Based Therapy focuses on patterns in close relationships, exploring how early bonds shape current connections and helping people build more secure, fulfilling relationships. Client-Centered Therapy emphasizes empathy and collaboration, creating space for clients to lead the work while the therapist offers nonjudgmental support and reflection; it can help with self-esteem, communication, and relationship concerns.

Finding the right approach is part of the therapeutic process. Maria collaborates with each person to determine which methods best match their needs, goals, and preferences, adjusting the plan as progress unfolds.

Online therapy offers practical flexibility - sessions can take place by video call or phone, and some work can continue through live chat or text-based messaging. These options make it easier to fit therapy into busy schedules, maintain continuity during life changes, and connect with licensed professionals from different locations.