Maria Russo

Maria Russo is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) practicing in Colorado with 25 years of experience. She draws on a master’s degree in social work and decades of personal and professional growth to help people move from simply surviving to living with more joy and authenticity. Maria frames her work around practical steps that build strengths and resilience.

Maria focuses on common struggles such as stress, anxiety, depression, trauma and abuse, low self-esteem, grief, addictions, relationship and family tensions, parenting strain, career concerns, and anger. She emphasizes finding what keeps someone stuck and the patterns that lead to unhealthy choices. The tone in sessions is caring and direct, aimed at clear changes rather than abstract talk.

Her approach blends client-centered listening with cognitive behavioral tools and narrative work to help people reframe old stories. She also uses motivational interviewing to support readiness for change and existential ideas to address meaning and purpose. Sessions typically involve learning concrete coping skills and trying small experiments between meetings.

Maria helps clients identify strengths, increase coping and problem-solving skills, and practice new ways of relating. She invites clients to notice how past wounds shape current behavior and to integrate those experiences into healthier patterns. Progress is described in day-to-day improvements rather than quick fixes.

People who want practical support, steady encouragement, and a focus on personal values may find this approach useful. Maria positions the work as a collaborative journey toward greater peace, connection, and self-understanding.

How Maria’s Approaches Work Online

Maria blends client-centered therapy with cognitive behavioral therapy to help people make clear changes. Client-centered work means she listens carefully and follows the client’s pace, helping people name what matters most to them. Cognitive behavioral therapy focuses on identifying unhelpful thoughts and testing new behaviors to reduce anxiety, anger, and depressed mood.

She also uses narrative therapy ideas to examine the stories people tell about themselves and to rewrite those stories in more empowering ways. That can be useful for trauma, addiction patterns, and relationship struggles where old narratives keep repeating.

Choosing an approach is a team effort. Maria will talk with each person about goals, preferences, and what has helped or not helped in the past. Together they try methods and adjust the plan based on what actually helps in daily life.

Confirm the current session options before booking so you know how meetings occur. Online work can make it easier to fit therapy into busy schedules, shorten commute time, and allow follow-up between meetings. It can also let someone choose a quieter setting, opt for fewer visual demands, or select session lengths that match a work break. These practical benefits help therapy become part of everyday life rather than an extra chore.