Works with
- Anger
- Stress, Anxiety
- Relationship issues
- Family conflicts
- Trauma and abuse
- Depression
How Maria works
Practical facts
- Credentials
- LCSW
- Licensed in
- Florida
- Years in practice
- 20
- Languages
- English, Spanish
- Session format
- Online, through our partner platform
About Maria
Maria Clara Salazar-Pretto is a licensed clinical social worker who aims to help people feeling overwhelmed by stress, anger, anxiety, or big life changes. She speaks English and Spanish and draws on two decades of experience supporting adults across health centers, hospitals, and personal agencies in Florida and beyond. Her sessions focus on practical steps.
She combines client-centered work with tools from cognitive behavioral therapy and solution-focused methods. That means she listens closely, helps people spot unhelpful thoughts and patterns, and builds small, doable strategies to reduce distress and improve daily routines.
Background and approach
Maria Clara trained in the United States and grew up with influences from Colombian and American cultures. That background informs how she connects with people from different walks of life and helps her explain ideas clearly in either language. In practice she uses straightforward techniques to manage anger, cope with grief, navigate relationship or parenting stress, and address trauma or burnout.
Sessions include validation, active listening, and collaborative planning so clients leave with clear next steps they can try between meetings. She also incorporates mindfulness and skills from dialectical behavior therapy when problems involve strong emotions or difficulty tolerating stress. Her approach stays practical and goal-oriented, aimed at helping people regain balance and function in their daily lives.
What Maria works with
Everything Maria lists, in the therapist's own terms. Anger is the reason this directory exists; the rest tells you what usually sits alongside it in Maria's practice.
- Stress, Anxiety
- Relationship issues
- Family conflicts
- Trauma and abuse
- Depression
- Grief
- Intimacy-related issues
- Parenting issues
- Anger management
- Self esteem
- Career difficulties
- Coping with life changes
- Coaching
- Compassion fatigue
- ADHD
- Abandonment
- Adoption and foster care
- Aging and geriatric issues
- Blended family issues
- Cancer
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Codependency
- Commitment issues
- Communication problems
- Coping with natural or human-caused disaster
- Dependent personality
- Divorce and separation
- Domestic violence
- Eating and food-related issues
- Emptiness
- Family of origin issues
- Family problems
- First responder issues
- Forgiveness
- Guilt and shame
- Hospice and end-of-life counseling
- Immigration issues
- Infidelity
- Isolation / loneliness
- Life purpose
- Midlife crisis
- Mood disorders
- Multicultural concerns
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Postpartum depression
- Post-traumatic stress
- Pregnancy and childbirth
- Self-harm
- Sexual assault and abuse
- Women's issues
- Workplace issues
- Young adult issues
Approaches Maria lists
- Client-Centered Therapy
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
- Mindfulness Therapy
- Solution-Focused Therapy
- Internal Family Systems
Listing an approach is not evidence of training in it. This directory copies what each therapist names and does not check training records.
How therapy approaches translate to online care
Maria Clara often uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to help people identify and change unhelpful thoughts and behaviors. CBT focuses on practical exercises and short-term goals that are easy to try between sessions and work well over video or phone.She also draws on Client-Centered Therapy, which centers the person in the room and emphasizes listening, empathy, and collaboration. That approach helps clients feel heard and shapes the pace and goals of therapy regardless of the online format.
Finding the right approach is a shared process. She will work with clients to pick methods that match their goals, whether that means focusing on skills for anger and emotion regulation or on specific problem-solving steps. Plans are adjusted based on progress and preference.
Online therapy offers flexibility for people with busy lives or limited local options. Video calls let the therapist and client use visual cues for skills practice. Phone sessions can be a lower-bandwidth option for check-ins. Live chat or text-based messaging can work for brief coaching, progress updates, or when clients prefer written reflection. These options make it easier to fit therapy into work breaks, caregiving schedules, or different time zones while keeping the work collaborative and focused.
Questions people ask about Maria
What kinds of concerns does she address?
She helps people with stress, anxiety, anger, depression, grief, trauma, relationship and intimacy concerns, parenting strain, work and career questions, and coping with life changes.
What is her approach to therapy?
Her style is client-centered and goal oriented. She blends cognitive behavioral techniques, solution-focused work, mindfulness, and DBT skills to build practical coping steps.
How much experience does she have?
She has 20 years of clinical experience working in hospitals, health centers, and personal agencies with adult clients.
What are her credentials and where is she based?
She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) practicing in Florida.
Can sessions be conducted in other languages?
Sessions are offered in English and Spanish for those who prefer either language.
What session formats are available?
Therapy can take place via video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging to suit different schedules and needs.
How does payment and cost work?
Cost varies with location and therapist arrangements; sessions use a subscription model 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 according to therapist availability.