Hi, I’m Maria
I am a bilingual (English/Spanish) Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) providing trauma-informed therapy for adolescents, adults, and older adults in New York City. I specialize in treating trauma, depression, anxiety, dissociation, and grief through an integrative approach that combines somatic, cognitive, and evidence-based methods, with particular attention to nervous system regulation as a foundation for lasting change. I believe every person is capable of healing, given the right space and the right questions.
My clinical home has been Mount Sinai Hospital, where I have provided psychotherapy and helped reimagine alongside a psychiatrist a program within the hospital's adult primary care - Internal Medicine to better identify and treat depression in medical patients, using short-term, evidence based protocols that integrate somatic care. I conduct internal quality improvement projects on complex trauma, work that deepens how I understand and treat trauma that is layered or long-term, and strengthens trauma-informed care integration alongside medical teams. I also lead a clinical supervision group supporting Spanish speaking providers who treat Spanish speaking clients, with the goal of improving treatment quality for Spanish-speaking, bilingual clients, in service of more equitable care.
I work with adolescents and older adults navigating identity and major life transitions, as well as neurodivergent clients and those whose identities or backgrounds have led to misdiagnosis or inadequate care within traditional mental health systems. Many of the clients I see are dealing with layered, interconnected presentations, where family history, medical conditions, identity, environment, systemic stressors, and past trauma all play a role in how they feel now, not a single, isolated issue. My approach adapts to that complexity: structured, when appropriate, and longer term relational work when that better serves the healing process.
I offer sessions in English and Spanish, and encourage collaboration with physicians when it benefits a client's care. I built this practice on the belief that healing finds its way, the way water always does.
I obtained my Masters (MSW) from the NYU Silver School of Social Work.
Approach
My approach integrates somatic, cognitive, and behavioral work, stillness, insight, and practicality, because lasting change requires all three. Some sessions focus on somatic techniques to quiet the body's alarm system, particularly important when navigating trauma or neurodivergence. Others focus on cognitive and behavioral tools to build concrete, everyday strategies and shift unhelpful thought patterns. I also draw on creative modalities, including sandplay, art, and written expression, for clients who process best outside of traditional talk therapy. I hold space for complexity, and across all of it, you can expect me to be direct and honest with you.
Frameworks I've trained in and draw on include:
Somatic Processing & Reprocessing: EMDR • EMDR for children and adolescents • Somatic Experiencing (SE) • Brainspotting
Identity & Parts Work: Internal Family Systems (IFS) • Narrative Therapy
Behavioral & Cognitive Tools: DBT • CBT • Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) • Behavioral Activation
