Maria Gimenez-Cruz

Maria Gimenez-Cruz is a Florida-based licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) who helps people manage stress, anger, anxiety, and life transitions. She speaks English and Spanish and takes a practical, down-to-earth approach to therapy. Maria focuses on building on a person’s strengths so they can handle hard moments more confidently.

She works with common concerns like depression, grief, sleep problems, relationship and parenting strain, and symptoms related to trauma and ADHD. Maria also supports people facing abandonment and attachment issues, immigration challenges, and the aftermath of natural or human-caused disasters. Her work includes helping clients cope with guilt, shame, and compassion fatigue.

Her style is collaborative and straightforward. Sessions center on identifying strengths, practicing skills, and problem-solving together. She uses Client-Centered Therapy to follow the client’s lead and Narrative Therapy to help people reframe their personal stories.

Maria also draws on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to notice and change patterns that keep difficulties going, and she uses Mindfulness to help people calm and focus during stressful moments. Motivational Interviewing is part of her approach when someone needs help building motivation for change.

Maria has nine years of clinical experience and emphasizes respect, sensitivity, and practical tools. To begin, she asks people to reflect on goals and then tailors conversations and plans to fit those goals. Her way of working aims to make people feel heard and supported while they learn new skills.

Approaches that translate to online sessions

Client-Centered Therapy places attention on the person’s concerns and goals, letting the therapist follow the client’s lead while offering support and reflection. This approach helps when someone needs a listening, nonjudgmental space to make sense of problems.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) focuses on spotting unhelpful thinking and behavior patterns and practicing concrete skills to change them. CBT is useful for anxiety, depression, anger, and sleep problems because it breaks problems into manageable steps.

Mindfulness Therapy teaches simple attention and breathing practices to reduce reactivity and improve focus during stressful moments. These exercises can be brief and easy to practice between sessions to support calmer responses.

Finding the right approach is part of the work. She will collaborate with each person to pick methods that match their needs, goals, and preferences. This exploration can include trying techniques and checking what feels most helpful over time.

Confirm current session options before booking so you know how sessions will be scheduled and delivered. Online therapy can make it easier to fit appointments into a busy life, shorten travel time, and allow for brief check-ins when needed. It can also let someone continue care during life changes while keeping work and home routines intact.