Maria Ward , LMFT

Maria Ward is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) practicing in California with 13 years of clinical experience. She works with people facing stress, anxiety, trauma and abuse, depression, anger, addictions, relationship and family challenges, grief, intimacy concerns, eating issues, parenting struggles, career transitions, bipolar disorder, ADHD, compassion fatigue and other life adjustments. As an LMFT Maria brings a family systems perspective aimed at understanding how relationships and roles influence emotional well-being.

She holds a certification in Trauma Focus, a treatment approach designed to address the effects of traumatic experiences, and she has substantial experience supporting parents, blended families, adoptees and foster care situations, and caregivers under stress. Her additional focus areas include attachment and abandonment issues, codependency, communication and commitment concerns, substance use and domestic violence, and a range of mood and behavioral disorders.

Maria approaches therapy from a collaborative stance, believing that each person is the expert of their own story and that existing strengths can be mobilized to manage and overcome challenges. She offers practical tools and coping strategies while listening and working alongside clients to set and reach goals. Bilingual in English and Spanish, she provides care for a diverse population and emphasizes encouragement and steady support for those taking the first steps toward change.

Therapeutic Approaches and Online Care with Maria Ward

Maria Ward integrates evidence-informed approaches to address emotional and relational difficulties. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) encourages learning to accept difficult thoughts and feelings while identifying personal values and taking committed actions - a useful way to cope with anxiety, depression and major life changes. Attachment-Based Therapy explores patterns formed in early relationships and how they show up in adult partnerships and family dynamics, helping with parenting concerns, intimacy issues and attachment-related wounds. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) focuses on identifying unhelpful thoughts and behaviors and building practical skills to manage symptoms of anxiety, mood difficulties and anger.

Choosing the right approach is part of the therapeutic process, and Maria collaborates with each person to determine which methods align with their needs, goals and preferences. She adapts techniques over time so therapy remains responsive and client-centered.

Online therapy options - including video calls, phone sessions, live chat and text-based messaging - make it easier to fit care into busy lives and to maintain continuity when schedules or locations change. These formats support regular contact, flexibility in scheduling and access to licensed professionals from different areas, all aimed at helping clients engage in meaningful work toward their goals.