Therapist profile
Maria Rivera, LCSW
LCSW in North Carolina - family and parenting focus
Continue with MariaAbout
- Stress and anxiety
- Parenting support
- CBT and ACT methods
About Maria
Maria Rivera is an LCSW licensed in North Carolina with 15 years of professional experience. She works with adults facing stress, anxiety, depression, addiction, trauma and abuse, and parenting concerns. Her practice also focuses on relationship strain, grief, anger, self-esteem, bipolar disorder, ADHD, and coping with life changes.
Rivera frames therapy as a collaborative effort. She treats the person, not just the problem, and encourages clients to use their own strengths. Sessions are direct and practical. Conversations aim to clarify what matters to the client and identify small steps forward.
Her approach draws on several evidence-based methods. She uses techniques from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to help people recognize unhelpful thinking and change behavior. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy helps clients name values and make committed changes. Motivational Interviewing and Solution-Focused Therapy support goal setting and building momentum.
Maria often helps people dealing with complex family-related concerns. That includes parenting stress, blended family issues, adoption and foster care questions, and communication problems within the household. She also addresses caregiver stress, aging and geriatric issues, chronic illness, and body image struggles.
Sessions emphasize realistic steps you can take between appointments. She listens for patterns, suggests practical skills, and follows the client’s pace. If you want to try therapy, she asks that you complete a short matching questionnaire and schedule a first session to get started.
How sessions work
How Maria's therapeutic approaches translate to online work
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy focuses on noticing thoughts and choosing actions that match your values. It can help with anxiety, low mood, and coping with life changes by clarifying what matters and nudging practical action. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy helps identify thought patterns that feed stress or depression and teaches specific skills to change behavior and feeling. These techniques are useful for managing panic, low mood, and recurring worries. Motivational Interviewing supports people who are unsure about change by exploring ambivalence and strengthening motivation for steps like reducing substance use or improving routines.Deciding on an approach is part of the first conversations. The therapist will work with the client to try methods that match their goals and preferences. If something does not fit, she reviews what to adjust and keeps the focus on achievable steps.
Session logistics should be confirmed before booking because formats are not listed here. Online work can make it easier to fit sessions into busy lives, reduce travel time, and allow shorter check-ins when needed. It also allows therapists to use exercises, worksheets, and brief behavioral experiments between meetings to support steady progress.
Areas of focus
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
15+ years
Listed in
North Carolina
Languages
English
Questions
Frequently asked questions
What concerns does she help with related to family life?
She works with adults on parenting stress, blended family issues, adoption and foster care questions, and general family conflict.
What is her therapeutic style like?
She uses a collaborative, direct style with practical steps. Techniques come from CBT, ACT, Motivational Interviewing, and Solution-Focused Therapy.
How much experience does she have?
She has 15 years of professional experience providing social work services in clinical settings.
What are her credentials and where is she licensed?
She is an LCSW licensed in North Carolina.
Does she offer sessions in languages other than English?
Sessions are offered in English.
Can international clients work with her?
She does not accept international clients at this time.
What formats are her sessions offered in?
Current session formats are not specified here; please confirm available formats before booking.
How are fees handled and how do I begin?
Cost varies with location and sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time. To begin, select the See online therapy options button, complete the short matching questionnaire, and schedule a first session.
Details come from information the therapist supplied to BetterHelp. A license can be checked with the state board.
Online talk therapy is not emergency care. If anyone is in danger, use the crisis numbers.