01 · Who Maria works with

Maria works with stress, Anxiety, relationship issues and family conflicts

Maria lists 15 specialisms and 38 further focus areas. Specialisms are the subjects Maria chose to list first, which is the closest a listing gets to “this is my actual practice”.

02 · In Maria's own words

What Maria says about the work

Reproduced in full and unedited - not summarised, not tightened, not rewritten in a house voice.

Hello, in this post pandemic time, we want nothing more but to get back to normal. But in reality, everyone's life has been disrupted. Now there are good news! We have learned to trust this method of communication (virtual) and mostly we have opened up about ourselves and our relationships. We now know that physical health and mental health go together. Let me invite you in. First I want to tell you about myself, I've worked for more than 20 years with clients, ranging from young adults to senior citizens in a variety of settings, such as hospitals, health centers and private agencies. I received my masters degree from California State University, Fresno in 1993 and have an undergraduate major in Clinical psychology. I was educated since a very early age in both the Colombian culture in Spanish and the USA culture in English. This has been an advantage as I'm able to relate to people of various cultures openly. My final Master's degree as a Clinical Social Worker is the best way of using all my training, schooling and life experiences to assist you... in being the best version of yourself. I describe my therapy framework as client centered and goal oriented. I mainly use Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Systems Theory, Solution Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) and an overall Humanistic theoretical model. These modalities are hands-on and offer practical approaches to finding solutions focused on building a grounded well- being for you. They're tools that provide ways of regulating yourself and show you how to open new pathways toward a more fulfilling experience. CBT goals identify faulty or unhelpful ways of thinking/acting and offer effective ways of coping with life's stressors. I treat every client as a special individual, using validation, empathy, active listening and reflection, all in a non judge-mental setting. I encourage you to take a first step as it soon becomes a supportive and trustworthy path. Remember that I'm honored to work with you. Maria Clara Pretto, LCSW

Maria Clara Salazar-Pretto, on the BetterHelp listing · read 9 Oct 2026

03 · How Maria works

The 6 approaches Maria lists, in plain English

These are the clinical methods Maria lists. The descriptions are Maker Therapy's, not Maria's - a general explanation of what each method is, so the list means something before you have spoken to anybody. They are not a claim about how Maria runs a session.

Client-Centred TherapyPerson-centred · Rogerian

The therapist does not steer toward a technique or a diagnosis. They offer sustained, non-judgemental attention and reflect back what they hear, on the premise that people find their own direction when they are genuinely listened to. Often what people mean by “someone who just gets it”.

Cognitive Behavioural TherapyCBT

Structured, present-focused work on the loop between what you think, how you feel and what you then do. Usually means noticing a thought pattern in the room, testing it against evidence, and practising something different between sessions. Among the most heavily researched talking therapies for depression and anxiety.

Dialectical Behaviour TherapyDBT

A structured skills-led adaptation of CBT built around holding two things at once: accepting yourself as you are and working to change. Teaches concrete skills for distress tolerance, emotion regulation and relationships. Developed for people whose feelings arrive at overwhelming intensity, and strongest-evidenced there.

Mindfulness-Based TherapyMBCT

Trains attention on what is happening right now - body, breath, the thought as it arrives - so distress can be observed rather than automatically acted on. Strongest evidence is in preventing depression from recurring, and it is usually taught as a practice you keep doing outside the session.

Solution-Focused Brief TherapySFBT

Starts from where you want to end up rather than from how you got here. Sessions look for the times the problem is already smaller and work out what is different about those, so the number of sessions tends to be short and the work concrete.

Internal Family SystemsIFS

Treats the mind as made up of parts - the critic, the one who withdraws, the one that keeps everything running - each of which is trying to protect you. The work is getting to know them rather than overruling them.

04 · What happens next

From this page to a first session

Maria practises through BetterHelp, so the route in is BetterHelp's. This is that sequence, written by Maker Therapy from the platform's published process - not a description of Maria's own practice, and not a promise about how quickly anything happens.

1. A questionnaire, not a booking form

   BetterHelp opens with a set of questions about what you are dealing with, what you want from therapy, and any preferences on the therapist. You are not booking Maria at this point.

2. Naming Maria specifically

   BetterHelp matches algorithmically by default, so asking for Maria is a step you have to take. There is a field for requesting a specific therapist during sign-up, and you can switch afterwards from your account. Starting from a link on this page does not by itself assign you to Maria.

3. If the caseload is full

   You will be offered somebody else rather than put on a waitlist. Worth knowing, because it is easy to assume a match is the person you asked for.

4. The first conversation

   A first session is typically history and orientation: what brought you, what has been tried, what you want to be different. It is also where the questions in the next section belong.

5. If the fit is wrong

   Changing therapist on BetterHelp does not need a reason. A first session that does not click is common and is not a verdict on therapy. That option existing is the main practical difference between a platform and a private practice.

05 · Before you commit

4 questions worth asking Maria

Built from what Maria actually lists, so they are answerable and specific rather than generic. Maker Therapy's, not Maria's - Maria has not seen them and is under no obligation to answer any of them.

• “You list both Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and Client-Centred Therapy. Which do you lean on with someone like me?”

  Those two point in different directions - one structured and led by the therapist, the other led by you. The answer tells you what the sessions will actually feel like.

• “How do you decide when someone is ready to work on a traumatic memory itself?”

  Pacing is the biggest safety question in trauma work. A clear, unhurried answer here matters more than any credential.

• “With 20 years in, what has changed most in how you work?”

  Long experience is only an advantage if it has been examined. This tends to surface whether it has.

• “How do you handle the gap between sessions if something comes up?”

  On BetterHelp this varies a great deal by therapist. Better to know the rhythm now than to discover it on a bad week.

06 · Practical details

Credentials and licensing

Credential

LCSW

Licensed in

Florida

Licence

FL LCSW SW7853

Licence number

SW7853

Licence expires

31 Mar 2027

NPI

1699393405

Years in practice

20

Gender

Female

Languages

English, Spanish

International clients

Accepted

Listed since

15 May 2026

07 · Provenance

Where every line on this page came from

Maria's name, credential, state, subjects, approaches and biography are read from BetterHelp's therapist roster, which Maker Therapy re-reads once a day; this page reflects the reading taken on 9 Oct 2026. The licence number and NPI are cross-checked against public registers.

The plain-English method descriptions, the first-session walkthrough and the questions are written by Maker Therapy and labelled as such wherever they appear.

Maker Therapy is not BetterHelp, does not take bookings, and has not met Maria. There are no reviews or ratings on this page because we have no way to verify one. If you start therapy through a link here, we may be paid a commission - it does not change your price and it does not affect who appears here or in what order.

Something on this page wrong or out of date? Report it and it will be checked against the source.