Maria Cusimano-Carl, LMFT

Maria Cusimano-Carl is a licensed marriage and family therapist with 22 years of experience in California. She works with adults and focuses on stress, anxiety, relationships, family concerns, self-esteem, and depression. Maria draws on a mix of practical therapy methods to help people make clearer choices and feel steadier day to day.

She helps people who are navigating relationship strain, separation, or problems that come from family history. Maria also supports adults dealing with addiction recovery challenges, attachment questions, and the stresses of caregiving or chronic illness. She is experienced addressing issues around adoption and foster care, fertility concerns, and body image struggles.

Maria blends cognitive behavioral tools with client-centered listening to identify patterns that keep someone stuck. She also uses elements of dialectical behavior therapy and psychodynamic ideas to explore emotional triggers and build coping skills. Motivational interviewing is part of her approach when people are making changes around substance use or other habits.

Sessions are aimed at short-term skill building as well as deeper exploration when needed. People can expect straightforward conversations about what is getting in the way and practical steps to try between sessions. Maria meets with adults only and structures work to fit each person’s goals and pace.

Her long experience includes running groups focused on relapse prevention and rebuilding trust after recovery. Maria is licensed in California as an LMFT and conducts sessions in English.

How Maria’s Approaches Work Online

Maria uses cognitive behavioral therapy to help people spot unhelpful thoughts and try different behaviors. CBT is useful for anxiety, depression, and everyday stress because it focuses on small, testable changes.

She also practices client-centered therapy which means listening closely and shaping sessions around what the person says matters most. This approach is helpful when someone needs an empathetic space to make sense of their feelings before choosing action.

Dialectical behavior therapy skills are used when strong emotions or relationship conflicts get in the way. DBT techniques teach emotional regulation, distress tolerance, and clearer communication for high-stress moments.

Finding the right approach is part of the work. Maria will collaborate with each person to decide whether to focus on skills, deeper emotional work, or both. Goals, daily demands, and personal preference guide the plan.

Online sessions are offered by video call, phone, live chat, or text-based messaging to fit different needs. Video is useful for face-to-face conversation and skill demonstrations. Phone sessions can be quicker check-ins with less bandwidth. Live chat and text messaging allow shorter, flexible exchanges between appointments and can help people stay connected to the therapeutic process on a schedule that fits their life.