Maria O'Donnell

Maria O'Donnell is a Florida licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) with three years of professional experience. She helps people who are feeling overwhelmed by stress or anxiety, dealing with relationship strain, wrestling with trauma or abuse, or questioning their life purpose. She also supports concerns around self-esteem, motivation, parenting, and family pressures.

Her approach is conversational and focused on what a person wants to change. Sessions are practical and goal-oriented. She draws on methods such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and Mindfulness to help people notice patterns and try different responses.

Maria centers the person's own perspective and strengths in sessions. She uses client-centered techniques and motivational interviewing to clarify what matters and to build direction. Therapy is framed as collaborative problem-solving rather than lecture or prescription.

She works with issues including attachment concerns, codependency, control struggles, domestic violence effects, and guilt or shame. Maria also addresses panic attacks and post-traumatic stress with trauma-focused strategies where appropriate. Her work often combines short-term skills training with deeper reflection on values and purpose.

People who feel stuck after a life change or who are unsure what comes next often seek her out. She aims to help clients notice small shifts that lead to clearer choices. To start, she asks prospective clients to complete a brief matching questionnaire and schedule an initial session.

Therapeutic approaches and online sessions

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) focuses on helping people notice their thoughts and commit to actions that reflect their values. It can help when someone feels stuck or uncertain about life direction by shifting attention from unhelpful thinking to meaningful action.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) looks at the links between thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. It teaches concrete skills to reduce anxiety and manage panic attacks, and it can be used to change repetitive patterns that harm relationships or self-worth.

Finding the right approach is part of the process. Maria will work with each person to choose methods that fit their goals and preferences, combining client-centered discussion, motivational interviewing, and skills practice as needed. This is a collaborative effort to identify what feels useful and what to try next.

Session formats are not specified in the biography, so confirm the current options before booking. Online sessions can make it easier to fit therapy into a busy schedule, shorten travel time, and allow for shorter check-ins during breaks. They also let people try different ways of working with a therapist without changing other routines.