Maria Rivera, LCSW

Maria Rivera is a licensed clinical social worker with 15 years of experience helping people manage stress, anxiety, addiction, and trauma. She uses a straightforward, respectful approach that centers the client's strengths and goals. Maria encourages people to take small steps that feel doable instead of trying to change everything at once.

She believes each person knows their own story best. Sessions focus on practical skills and clear goals. Maria listens closely, reflects what she hears, and helps people choose strategies that match their values and daily life.

Her work covers a range of concerns, including relationship strain, grief, anger, parenting stress, eating and body image struggles, mood disorders like depression and bipolar, and attention challenges such as ADHD. She also supports people dealing with issues related to adoption and foster care, attachment and abandonment, chronic illness, caregiving burden, and blended family dynamics.

Maria draws from approaches that help people notice difficult thoughts, build new habits, and move toward what matters. She may use acceptance and commitment ideas, cognitive behavioral tools, motivational interviewing, client-centered listening, and solution-focused steps. The goal is to find practical ways forward that fit each person's life.

Maria practices in North Carolina and works in English. To begin, people complete a short matching questionnaire and then schedule sessions based on therapist availability.

How her approaches shape online work

Maria commonly uses Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy in her practice. ACT helps people notice painful thoughts without letting those thoughts control their actions, and it focuses on moving toward personal values. CBT looks at how thoughts, feelings, and actions interact and offers practical exercises to change unhelpful patterns.

She approaches therapy as a team process. Together the therapist and client figure out which methods fit the client's goals and daily routines. That means trying an idea, checking how it worked, and adjusting the plan when needed.

If you are considering online therapy, confirm the exact session formats before booking so expectations match how she is working now. Online sessions can make it easier to fit check-ins into a busy week, reduce travel time, and allow shorter or more frequent meetings when that helps progress. They also let conversations focus on real-life situations you face between sessions, so tools learned in therapy can be put to use right away.