Maria is a licensed clinical social worker in NY and CT who graduated with a Masters in Social Work from the University at Albany in 2012 with a specialization in aging. Although she works with adults across the lifespan, she began her career working with older adults, specifically adults with dementia. Through this work, she was exposed to research on the aging brain and how exercise may minimize risk of cognitive impairment. In 2017, she started running to cope with stress and to practice what available research suggests, with very little knowledge about how to run. She quickly experienced improved mood, confidence, and energy to tackle every day tasks. As a therapist, it wasn’t long before she started to look into the research on running and how it relates to mental/emotional health, not just physical health. She discovered there is science behind what runners can experience and thought, “What if you can learn how to use running or walking in therapy to improve your mental health?” It turns out, there are a select number of therapists doing exactly this.

Maria has been working as a social worker for over a decade and decided to launch a private practice so that she could provide specialized mental health treatment, utilizing movement to improve mental health and all other aspects of health. She became a certified run coach in 2021 to bring added expertise to her practice and most recently became a certified Run Walk Talk® practitioner. She is a clinical therapist first, with additional knowledge to help you overcome fears about running. She may also utilize traditional talk therapy with you if you are not able to, or prefer not to use movement in therapy. You may even decide to blend both movement and talk therapy if you think it will best meet your needs.

Maria is located in the Brewster, NY area. She will work well with you if you are coping with trauma, grief, body image issues, relationship stress, caregiving related issues, or career changes. She loves helping people learn emotion regulation, effective communication skills, and better self-care. Maria’s practice is racial justice and LGBTQIA+ allied. She also utilizes an intersectional feminist framework and is passionate about body liberation and the Health At Every Size® movement.

Maria would love to help you find joy in your life and cope with stress, ultimately helping you feel empowered when faced with life challenges and transitions.

In addition to running, Maria enjoys hiking, skiing, camping, traveling, and spending time with her dogs, Ringo and Eva!

Evelyn is a licensed clinical social worker who graduated with a Masters in Social Work from Hunter College in 2015. Evelyn was born and raised in New York City and is located in Brooklyn, NY with the ability to see NY residents virtually at the moment.

Evelyn brings honesty, humor (lots of humor), and compassion into the therapy space and she is a strong advocate for self-empowerment and accepting all the parts of yourself! Evelyn would love to work with you if you are interested in embracing your unique strengths and living authentically within an oppressive society. She has a passion for working with those transitioning into adulthood (ages 18-26) and all the ups and downs that come with it! She specializes in women’s issues and has worked with individuals who have experienced sexual assault and intimate partner violence. Evelyn also has experience working with first and second generation folks, helping them make sense of their experience living in the United States. Evelyn also enjoys working with clients experiencing ADHD, relationship issues, self-esteem issues, stress, co-dependency, anxiety and/or depression. Working with Evelyn will help you access inner guidance, self-trust, and your unique and even “weird” strengths.

As a person in the world, Evelyn enjoys running, improv comedy, and her amazing black cat named Bo!

Evelyn plans to learn how to provide nature-based movement therapy to clients living or working near the Prospect Park area, as she is motivated to blend her own joy for walking/running and movement in therapy to help clients access non-traditional therapy options. Stay tuned!

Office Location:

1663 Route 22

Brewster, NY 10509