Maria Clara Salazar-Pretto, LCSW

Licensed in Florida · 20 years in practice

Maria Clara Salazar-Pretto welcomes people who are feeling overwhelmed, stuck, or unsure where to turn.

License and registration

LCSW, Florida: SW7853 · expires March 2027
NPI: 1699393405 · national provider identifier
Years in practice: 20
Languages: English, Spanish

Details are as listed on the therapist's public professional profile. You can check any license with the state board and any NPI with the national registry.

About Maria

Maria Clara Salazar-Pretto welcomes people who are feeling overwhelmed, stuck, or unsure where to turn. She focuses on clear, practical steps that help people manage stress, anxiety, grief, relationship strain, parenting challenges, and life transitions. Maria Clara uses straightforward language and listens first to what matters to each person.

She has worked for twenty years in hospitals, health centers, and personal agencies. She earned a master’s degree in Clinical Social Work from California State University, Fresno and holds an undergraduate degree in clinical psychology.

Background and approach

Maria Clara practices as an LCSW in Florida and offers sessions in English and Spanish. Her approach is client-centered and goal oriented. She draws on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to identify unhelpful thinking and build new coping strategies.

She also uses Solution-Focused techniques to set achievable steps and mindfulness exercises to calm the body and mind. In sessions she emphasizes active listening, validation, and practical tools. People can expect hands-on strategies for regulating emotions, improving communication, and handling everyday stressors.

She explains concepts plainly and works at a pace that fits each person. Maria Clara accepts international clients and provides video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging. She can help people who are managing trauma and abuse, caregiving stress, compassion fatigue, ADHD, and many other concerns.

She invites people to take a first step toward clearer coping and more balanced days.

Focus areas and approaches

Everything Maria lists on their public professional profile, in their own terms.

Stress, Anxiety
Relationship issues
Family conflicts
Trauma and abuse
Depression
Grief
Intimacy-related issues
Parenting issues
Anger management
Self esteem
Career difficulties
Coping with life changes
Coaching
Compassion fatigue
ADHD
Abandonment
Adoption and foster care
Aging and geriatric issues
Blended family issues
Cancer
Caregiver issues and stress
Codependency
Commitment issues
Communication problems
Coping with natural or human-caused disaster
Dependent personality
Divorce and separation
Domestic violence
Eating and food-related issues
Emptiness
Family of origin issues
Family problems
First responder issues
Forgiveness
Guilt and shame
Hospice and end-of-life counseling
Immigration issues
Infidelity
Isolation / loneliness
Life purpose
Midlife crisis
Mood disorders
Multicultural concerns
Panic disorder and panic attacks
Postpartum depression
Post-traumatic stress
Pregnancy and childbirth
Self-harm
Sexual assault and abuse
Women's issues
Workplace issues
Young adult issues

Approaches Maria names

Naming an approach is not evidence of training in it. This directory copies what each therapist lists and does not check training records.

Online support

How evidence-based approaches work online

Maria Clara commonly integrates Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Solution-Focused Therapy when working remotely. CBT helps identify unhelpful thoughts and build concrete coping skills for anxiety, depression, and stress. Solution-Focused Therapy emphasizes small, measurable steps and goal-setting to create momentum and clearer next actions.

She approaches treatment collaboratively, which means deciding together which methods fit best. Early sessions focus on goals, current struggles, and what the person hopes to change. From there she recommends practical techniques and adapts them if something isn’t working, so treatment often changes based on the client’s needs and preferences.

Online sessions are offered by video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging to provide flexibility. Video is useful for a full conversation and visual cues, phone calls work well when bandwidth is limited, live chat allows shorter check-ins during a busy day, and messaging supports ongoing reflection between sessions. These options make it easier to fit therapy into work, family, or travel schedules while using therapeutic tools effectively.

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Questions people ask

What kinds of concerns does she address?

Maria Clara helps with stress, anxiety, depression, grief, trauma and abuse, relationship and intimacy issues, parenting strain, career stress, ADHD, and related concerns listed in her specialties.

How would you describe her therapeutic style?

She uses a client-centered, goal-oriented style with practical techniques from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Solution-Focused work, mindfulness, and other approaches to teach coping skills and set small achievable steps.

What is her professional background?

She has twenty years of clinical experience working in hospitals, health centers, and personal agencies, with a master’s degree in Clinical Social Work from California State University, Fresno.

Where is she licensed and based?

She practices as an LCSW in Florida and carries the credential listed as LCSW in her profile.

Which languages are offered for sessions?

Sessions are offered in English and Spanish, and she accepts international clients.

What session formats are available?

Sessions can be done via video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging to fit different schedules and needs.

How are fees handled?

Costs vary with location and therapist availability; sessions use a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.

How do I begin the process?

Start by selecting the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and then schedule sessions according to the therapist's availability.

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