I am a Licensed Professional Counselor in Texas with 8 years of experience working as a therapist. I am a graduate of the University of West Florida with a MA in Counseling Psychology. I began my clinical work experience as a trauma therapist at Escambia and Santa Rosa County's certified Sexual Violence Program. Most recently I have spent the last 4 years working providing counseling to active duty military service members and their families. I have worked with clients with a wide range of concerns including depression, anxiety, relationship issues, parenting concerns, and sexual trauma. I am an LBGT+ affirming therapist and deeply respect my clients' multicultural experiences.
My counseling philosophy is that you are the expert of your own experience. You know what is best for you. My goal as your counselor is to use my therapeutic expertise to help facilitate changes you'd like to make in your life. There is no "one size fits all" approach to treatment. As such, we will customize your treatment plan to meet your specific needs. My counseling style is collaborative and I seek to empower my clients to learn, heal, communicate, and grow. I utilize techniques from various modalities including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy, and Brief Solution Focused Therapy.
It takes courage to create change in your life and heal from past wounds. Taking these first few steps is something to be proud of. I look forward to working with you!
Additional areas of focus: Family conflicts, Grief, Intimacy-related issues, Parenting issues, Anger management, Self esteem, Career difficulties, Bipolar disorder, Coping with life changes, Compassion fatigue, Communication Problems, Dissociation, Domestic Violence, Family of Origin Issues, Family Problems, Guilt and Shame, Life Purpose, Multicultural Concerns, Polyamory / Nonmonogamous Relationships, Post-traumatic Stress, Sexuality, Social Anxiety and Phobia, Women's Issues, Young Adult Issues
Clinical approaches: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Motivational Interviewing, Solution-Focused Therapy, Trauma-Focused Therapy
FL LMHC MH14641
TX LPC 86529
These quotes represent just a few of the many positive reviews that we have received for Maria Paoli-Vega. We don't pay anyone to provide their review and they are all made voluntarily. Some people's experience receiving therapy with BetterHelp might be different.
Maria is the perfect example of why BetterHelp should exist and allow therapy in an online format to continue reaching individuals who need her expertise. She is thoughtful and incredibly intelligent. She understands my goals and boundaries while still encouraging areas in which I have voiced I want to see improvements in, ensuring we circle back and try to do the work so have a better outcome. She is incredibly receptive and flexible.
Written on Apr 18, 2023 after therapy with Maria for 1 year on issues concerning depression, stress, anxiety, addictions, lgbt, family conflicts, trauma and abuse, grief, intimacy-related issues, self esteem, career difficulties, and coping with life changes
Maria is an amazing therapist. She listens to me, understands my concerns, and offers helpful, unbiased advice. She’s really helped me see my struggles and challenges in a new light, and I’m learning a lot about showing myself compassion and empathy. It’s been such a struggle allowing myself to be vulnerable, even in such a safe space as our sessions, but she has been really understanding and by helping me to understand myself and why I’m like this, I’ve been able to open up so much more, not only here, but in my family, friends, and work relationships. I honestly didn’t expect to make so much progress in so little time, but it’s been an amazing experience.
Written on Mar 16, 2023 after therapy with Maria for 11 months on issues concerning stress, anxiety, family conflicts, trauma and abuse, intimacy-related issues, sleeping disorders, self esteem, career difficulties, and adhd
Maria is an absolute blessing. She's super engaged, intuitive, and always knows how to drive a topic forward when I run out of things to say. Though we've been working together for just a few short weeks, I feel that she's conscious of the type of person I am and the way I think, and genuinely cares about helping me. Couldn't be happier with our time working together so far.
Written on Oct 19, 2022 after therapy with Maria for 1 month on issues concerning stress, anxiety, lgbt, and self esteem
Very helpful and easy to talk to. She listens and provides good perspective.
Written on Aug 01, 2022 after therapy with Maria for 1 month on issues concerning depression, stress, anxiety, and relationship issues
Maria has been incredible to work with. I clicked with her on day one and I felt she truly understood me, who I am as a person, and the issues I'm dealing with and she immediately had an action plan for me. Some counselors I've worked with I have felt haven't gotten right to the point and helped share actionable steps and I was so blown away by how quickly Maria uncovered my issues and shared our next steps. I can't recommend Maria enough, she's a kind, compassionate human and she is an excellent counselor.
Written on Jul 18, 2022 after therapy with Maria for 3 months on issues concerning stress, anxiety, depression, self esteem, relationship issues, family conflicts, coping with life changes, and intimacy-related issues
Maria is such a kind, caring, and empathetic person. During our sessions I always felt care for, listened to, and understood. As a professional Maria is knowledgeable and offers solid actionable steps and tools to practice implementing. I had not moved states I would continue working with Maria. I cannot thank her enough.
Written on Jul 17, 2022 after therapy with Maria for 3 months on issues concerning depression, stress, anxiety, self esteem, and compassion fatigue