PuttingFamilyFirst

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MC Portrait of Maria Castro
Online therapist

Maria Castro

Supportive, practical therapy for everyday family life

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Credentials
LMHC
Experience
12 years
Licensed in
Washington
Languages
English, Spanish
Format
Online sessions

About Maria

Maria Castro is a licensed mental health counselor in Washington. She brings 12 years of experience and offers sessions in English and Spanish. Parents often find her calm and practical when managing stress or parenting challenges.

She focuses on everyday problems such as anxiety, depression, and coping with life changes. Maria also works with issues like trauma, grief, low self-esteem, anger, and mood instability. She addresses concerns listed under family and parenting when those topics come up in sessions.

Background and approach

Her approach centers on the person in front of her. She uses Client-Centered Therapy to listen without judgment and to help people name what matters most to them. She combines that with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to spot patterns of thinking that keep problems going, and with Solution-Focused Therapy to build small practical steps toward change.

Sessions are collaborative and straightforward. Maria aims to help people identify strengths, try out new ways of coping, and track what works. She tailors each plan to the person’s needs, culture, and goals.

Taking the first step can feel hard. Maria offers clear guidance and steady support through the early weeks of work. She emphasizes respect, sensitivity, and inclusive care while people make changes in their lives.

How these approaches translate to online sessions

Client-Centered Therapy focuses on listening and building understanding. In practice this means the therapist asks open questions, reflects what she hears, and supports the person in naming priorities and values. It helps when someone needs a respectful, nonjudgmental space to sort through feelings and choices.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, targets the links between thoughts, feelings, and actions. Online CBT sessions often include tracking patterns, setting small behavioral experiments, and practicing new ways of thinking to reduce anxiety or depressive symptoms. This approach is useful for problems like panic, worry, low mood, and some parenting challenges.

Finding the right mix of methods is part of the process. Maria treats approach selection as collaborative and will adjust methods based on each person’s needs, goals, and preferences. Together they decide what to try first and how to measure progress over time.

Online therapy offers practical flexibility through video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging. These formats can make it easier to fit sessions into busy family schedules, continue work while travelling, or check in between longer meetings. The variety of options gives people more ways to engage in therapy that match their daily life and comfort level.

Client-Centered Therapy

The direction comes from you rather than from a set programme. The therapist offers a warm, non-judgemental space to think out loud and work at your own pace. Online, this rests on the relationship rather than on being in the same room.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

CBT looks at the link between what you think, how you feel, and what you do. You work on noticing unhelpful patterns and practising steadier responses. It suits online sessions well, because much of the work happens between appointments and can be talked through from anywhere.

Motivational Interviewing

A way of working through mixed feelings about change without being pushed. The therapist helps you weigh things up and find your own reasons, which often makes a difficult decision feel less stuck.

Frequently asked questions

What kinds of concerns does she address?
Maria sees people for stress, anxiety, depression, trauma and abuse, parenting and family matters, relationship and LGBT concerns, mood disorders, ADHD, and related topics such as grief, anger, and isolation.
What is her general therapy style?
She practices a person-centered, strengths-based style. Sessions focus on listening, identifying strengths, and taking small practical steps toward change using evidence-based techniques.
How much clinical experience does she have?
She has 12 years of experience working with a range of mental health and life challenges in Washington.
What credentials and location are listed?
She is an LMHC licensed in Washington under WA LMHC LH60861263 and provides services from that state.
Which languages are offered for sessions?
Sessions are offered in English and Spanish.
In what session formats can therapy take place?
Therapy is available by video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging to fit different needs and schedules.
How are fees and subscriptions handled?
Costs vary with location and therapist availability and sessions use a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.
What steps are required to begin working together?
To start, select the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and then schedule sessions according to the therapist's availability.

Specialties and expertise

Top specialties

Also works with

Therapeutic approaches

Experience
12 years
Licensed
Washington
Languages
English, Spanish

Next step

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