- Guilt and shame
- CBT and narrative
- English and Spanish
About Maria
Maria Zavala is a Texas LMFT with 13 years of clinical experience helping adults who are coping with family conflict, trauma, intimacy concerns, parenting strain, and depression. She speaks English and Spanish and works with people from a range of cultural backgrounds.
Her approach is practical and conversational. Sessions focus on what is happening now and on small, manageable changes clients can try between meetings. She draws on Client-Centered Therapy to listen and clarify concerns, and on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to identify patterns that keep people stuck.
Maria also uses elements of Existential and Mindfulness therapy to help people examine meaning, values, and how they want to live. Motivational Interviewing is part of her work when people are weighing change or feeling stuck about next steps. For someone carrying guilt or shame, she pays attention to how those feelings shape decisions and relationships.
Clients can expect a straightforward, culturally aware style that names problems and looks for practical ways forward. She has experience with blended family issues, forgiveness, immigration-related stress, and situations involving domestic violence and infidelity. Her practice notes chronic pain and illness, control issues, and mood disorders among the concerns she addresses.
Maria asks new clients to complete a short matching questionnaire and then schedule a first session. The practice uses a subscription billing model that can be canceled at any time. International clients are not accepted.
Approaches used in online sessions and how they help
Client-Centered Therapy focuses on careful listening and reflecting back what matters most to the client. It helps people clarify their concerns and decide what they want to change.Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) looks at the links between thoughts, feelings, and behaviors and gives concrete strategies to test and change unhelpful patterns. This approach is often used for depression, anxiety, and persistent guilt or shame.
Existential therapy helps people examine values, meaning, and personal responsibility. It can be useful when someone is questioning life purpose or struggling with decisions after major changes.
Finding the right mix of approaches is part of the work. Maria will collaborate with each client to pick methods that match their goals, needs, and preferences. That means trying things, checking what helps, and adjusting the plan together.
Confirm the current online session options before booking, since specific formats are not listed in the biography. Many people find online sessions easier to fit into a busy day, allow shorter check-ins when needed, or let a session proceed without being on camera if that helps. Licensed professionals can use these options to make therapy more practical for everyday life.
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
13+ years
Listed in
Texas
Languages
English, Spanish
Frequently asked questions
What kinds of concerns does she address?
She works with family conflict, trauma and abuse, intimacy issues, parenting challenges, and depression. Additional focuses include guilt and shame, forgiveness, immigration stress, and blended family matters.
How does she approach feelings of guilt or shame?
She pays attention to how guilt and shame affect choices and relationships and uses conversational work to name those patterns. Cognitive Behavioral tools are used to identify and shift unhelpful thoughts linked to those feelings.
What is her therapeutic style like?
Her style is practical and client-centered, with a mix of talk and skills work. She brings mindfulness and existential ideas when clients want to explore values, meaning, or purpose.
How much experience does she have?
She has 13 years of experience as a licensed marriage and family therapist working in Texas. That experience includes work with multicultural communities and bilingual practice.
Where is she licensed and what languages are available?
She is an LMFT licensed in Texas and conducts sessions in English and Spanish. International clients are not accepted.
What session formats are offered?
Please confirm current session options before booking, as formats are not specified in the biography. The practice asks prospective clients to check available formats when they sign up.
How are fees handled?
Session cost varies with location and the practice uses a subscription billing model that can be canceled at any time. Exact rates are provided during the sign-up process.
How do I begin working with her?
Start by selecting the See online therapy options button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and then schedule a first session.
Online talk therapy is not emergency care. If you are in danger or thinking about harming yourself, use the crisis numbers.