- Practical coping skills
- Trauma-informed care
- Focus on relationships
About Maria
Maria Ruud, LMSW, helps people facing stress, anxiety, addiction, and life changes. She focuses on issues like relationships, self-esteem, grief, and trauma. Her work also includes concerns related to LGBT identity, intimacy, parenting, and caregiving strain.
Her style is straightforward and collaborative. Sessions are a place to talk through what feels hard, name patterns, and try small changes that make daily life easier. She emphasizes clear communication and practical coping skills that people can use between meetings.
With ten years of experience, she has supported people dealing with mood changes, workplace strain, and recovery from difficult events. Maria pays attention to how health, chronic illness, and caregiving can affect emotion and behavior. She also addresses substance use and codependency with focused, actionable steps.
People can expect therapy that balances emotional understanding with concrete tools. Maria helps clients build resilience, manage anger, and strengthen boundaries. She encourages exploration of values and goals to guide meaningful change.
She practices in Michigan and uses her LMSW credential, which stands for Licensed Master Social Worker. Sessions are conducted in English. To begin, prospective clients follow the site's Start Therapy process to match and schedule according to the therapist's availability.
How evidence-based techniques guide online care
Maria uses evidence-based therapeutic techniques to guide her work in plain, practical ways. One approach focuses on building coping skills and behavioral strategies to reduce anxiety and manage stress. That work emphasizes small, repeatable actions people can try between sessions to feel steadier day to day.Another common thread is trauma-informed care that helps people process difficult events at a manageable pace. This approach balances understanding past experiences with concrete skills for emotional regulation and improved relationships.
Finding the right approach is part of the process. Maria collaborates with each person to identify goals and preferences, then adjusts methods as needed. Clients work together with her to choose techniques that fit their situation and values rather than following a fixed plan.
Confirm the session formats with the therapist before booking, as options are not listed here. Online work can make it easier to fit therapy into a busy schedule by reducing travel and allowing shorter check-ins on a lunch break or after work. It can also let people stay connected when managing health challenges or caregiving duties, and phone sessions may be useful when lower bandwidth or a simple check-in is preferred.
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Experience
10+ years
Credentials
Michigan
Languages
English
Frequently asked questions
What concerns does Maria address?
She supports people with stress, anxiety, depression, addiction, trauma, grief, relationship and intimacy issues, self-esteem, parenting strain, and compassion fatigue among other concerns.
How would you describe her therapeutic style?
Her style is collaborative and practical. She talks through problems with clients and introduces clear coping strategies to use between sessions.
What experience does she bring to therapy?
She has ten years of clinical experience working with mood challenges, trauma recovery, workplace issues, and caregiving-related stress.
What credential and location information should I know?
She holds an LMSW, which stands for Licensed Master Social Worker, and practices in Michigan.
In which languages are sessions offered?
Sessions are offered in English.
Are international clients accepted?
International clients are not currently accepted.
How does cost work for sessions?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability; sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
What is the first step to begin therapy?
Use the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and then schedule based on the therapist's availability.