My name is Maria, and I look forward to meeting you. I am a Licensed Mental Health Counselor of Washington State. My approach is gentle, honest, simple, direct, and caring. You won’t be getting a lot of rigid structure during the session, but you will have an open, safe place to explore your life, your problems, your values, and your goals with some thoughtful guidance and suggestions to try. Christian spirituality can be integrated in our sessions for those who desire a faith-based approach. I am also comfortable with supporting clients as they explore their own spiritual traditions and journeys in their narrative if so desired.

At heart, I focus on attachment, attunement, and emotional safety within each session. I believe that there is a power in telling your story and we are all made for greatness. I enjoy using Narrative Therapy to explore influences of your own story, your family story, and culture to help to understand yourself a little better and find the values that help you move forward in life. In my work with couples, I use a variety of different modalities including Imago Relationship Therapy and Emotionally Focused Therapy to help you make sense of your story as a couple and find ways to strengthen your path forward. With children, I enjoy entering into their world through child-centered play therapy and helping them make sense of it all in a joyful and respectful manner. 

Some of my specialties include, but are not limited to adoption, foster care, first responders, military, victims of narcissistic abuse, anxiety, trauma, depression, and cultural/immigration issues.