Maria Ward, LMFT
California · 13 years in practice
Maria Ward is a licensed marriage and family therapist with 13 years of clinical experience in California.
License and registration
- LMFT, California
- 98143 · expires May 2026
- NPI
- 1184932006 · national provider identifier
- Years in practice
- 13
- Languages
- English, Spanish
Details are as listed on the therapist's public professional profile. You can check the license with the issuing state board, and the NPI with the national registry.
About Maria
Maria Ward is a licensed marriage and family therapist with 13 years of clinical experience in California. She focuses on helping people who feel overwhelmed by stress, anxiety, grief, depression, mood changes, and trauma. She speaks English and Spanish and aims to make early steps feel manageable for someone who is unsure about therapy.
Maria draws on approaches such as Emotionally-Focused Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to shape sessions.
Background and approach
She uses practical tools and clear conversation to help clients notice patterns, name emotions, and try new ways of responding. Sessions are conversational and tailored to each person’s goals. Her work often addresses relationship and intimacy struggles, communication problems, parenting challenges, and addiction-related concerns.
She also supports people coping with major life transitions, caregiving stress, body image and self-esteem issues, and difficulties tied to attachment or abandonment. Maria views the client as the expert on their life and partners with them to build on strengths. Maria commonly helps people manage anger, compassion fatigue, ADHD-related struggles, and career-related stress.
She also offers support around eating concerns, bipolar mood shifts, divorce and separation, and recovery from domestic violence. Her background includes experience with adoption and foster care issues and aging-related concerns. Therapy with Maria focuses on collaboration, practical strategies, and small experiments to test new approaches.
She aims to listen closely, reflect what’s happening, and provide tools people can use between sessions. Getting started begins with a short matching questionnaire and scheduling a first appointment.
Focus areas and approaches
Everything Maria lists on their public professional profile, in their own terms.
- Stress, Anxiety
- Trauma and abuse
- Anger management
- Depression
- Addictions
- Relationship issues
- Family conflicts
- Grief
- Intimacy-related issues
- Eating disorders
- Parenting issues
- Self esteem
- Career difficulties
- Bipolar disorder
- Coping with life changes
- Compassion fatigue
- ADHD
- Abandonment
- Adoption and foster care
- Aging and geriatric issues
- Attachment issues
- Blended family issues
- Body image
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Codependency
- Commitment issues
- Communication problems
- Control issues
- Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMDD)
- Divorce and separation
- Domestic violence
- Drug and alcohol addiction
- Eating and food-related issues
- Emptiness
- Family of origin issues
- Family problems
- Fertility issues
- Forgiveness
- Guilt and shame
- Hospice and end-of-life counseling
- Impulsivity
- Infidelity
- Isolation / loneliness
- Jealousy
- Life purpose
- Midlife crisis
- Veteran and Armed Forces Issues
- Mood disorders
- Multicultural concerns
- Obsessions, compulsions, and OCD
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Paranoia
- Phobias
- Postpartum depression
- Post-traumatic stress
- Prejudice and discrimination
- Self-harm
- Self-love
- Sexual assault and abuse
- Smoking / vaping cessation
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Women's issues
- Young adult issues
Approaches Maria names
- Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT)
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
- Attachment-Based Therapy
- Client-Centered Therapy
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Existential Therapy
- Gottman Method
- Jungian Therapy
- Mindfulness Therapy
- Motivational Interviewing
- Solution-Focused Therapy
- Trauma-Focused Therapy
- Internal Family Systems
Naming an approach is not evidence of training in it. This directory copies what each therapist lists and does not check training records.
Online support
How emotion-focused and behavioral approaches work online
Maria commonly uses Emotionally-Focused Therapy to help people identify and name core emotions and patterns that affect relationships and connection. EFT sessions focus on what someone feels in the moment and on changing interaction patterns that keep painful cycles going.She also draws on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy to help people clarify values and take committed action even when uncomfortable feelings arise. ACT offers simple exercises to notice thoughts and make choices that align with what matters. Attachment-Based Therapy is used to look at early bonds and how they shape current expectations, especially when trust or closeness feels difficult.
Finding the right mix of approaches is part of the work. The therapist will collaborate with each person to choose methods that match their goals, needs, and preferences. That process can be adjusted over time as progress is made.
Online formats include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging to make therapy more flexible. Video sessions allow face-to-face conversation and visual cues. Phone sessions can fit into a lunch break or require less bandwidth. Live chat and messaging are useful for short check-ins, skill practice, or when typing feels easier than talking. These options help people keep continuity of care while fitting sessions into busy lives.
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Questions people ask
What concerns does she help with?
She helps people facing stress, anxiety, trauma and abuse, depression, anger, addictions, relationship and intimacy issues, grief, parenting challenges, self-esteem, career stress, bipolar mood shifts, ADHD, and related concerns.
What is her therapeutic style like?
Sessions are collaborative and conversational. She blends Emotionally-Focused Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, CBT, and client-centered practices to help people name emotions and try practical strategies.
How much clinical experience does she have?
She has 13 years of professional experience working in clinical settings and with individuals on a range of emotional and behavioral concerns.
Where is she licensed and located?
She is a licensed marriage and family therapist (LMFT) practicing in California.
Which languages are supported?
Sessions are offered in English and Spanish, and she also accepts international clients.
What session formats are available?
She offers video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging to fit different needs and schedules.
How do fees and payment work?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability; sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
How do I begin working with her?
Start by selecting the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and then schedule sessions based on the therapist's availability.
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