About Me
I’m Maria Grish, a Licensed Mental Health Counselor in Florida and a Certified Advanced Schema Therapist.
I help people understand and change the deeper patterns that keep them feeling stuck.
I work with adults who are often high-functioning in their daily lives, yet continue to struggle with anxiety, relationship patterns, or deeper emotional difficulties that don’t fully resolve with surface-level approaches.
My Approach & Background
For over 20 years, I’ve worked with a wide range of individuals in different clinical settings, beginning my career as a psychiatrist. This experience gave me a deep understanding of the many ways emotional suffering can show up in people’s lives.
I became a therapist because I believe in people’s capacity for deep, lasting change—not just managing symptoms, but understanding and transforming the patterns that shape how we feel, relate, and live.
My background includes medical training and a PhD in psychiatry in Russia, as well as a Master’s degree in Mental Health Counseling from Nova Southeastern University. I am licensed in Florida.
Areas of Focus
My work is focused on deeper, long-standing patterns that often don’t shift through short-term or solution-focused approaches.
Areas I commonly work with:
Personality disorders & traits (including borderline, narcissistic, and avoidant)
Recovery from narcissistic and emotionally abusive relationships
Relationship patterns & attachment difficulties
Complex trauma and developmental wounds
Chronic anxiety & emotional reactivity
My Approach to Therapy
My work is grounded in Schema Therapy — an evidence-based approach that focuses on the deeper emotional patterns that shape how we think, feel, and relate.
I combine depth-oriented work with structure and clarity, providing a space that is both supportive and focused. Therapy is tailored to you, with attention to what is most relevant and meaningful.
Training & Credentials
My approach is grounded in both medical and psychological training, with advanced specialization in Schema Therapy.
Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Florida
Certified Advanced Schema Therapist, Trainer & Supervisor, ISST
PhD in Psychiatry, Russia
Medical Doctor, Russia
M.S. in Mental Health Counseling, Nova Southeastern University
Beyond the Credentials
Beyond my clinical work, I continue to deepen my understanding through ongoing training, research, and professional development — because I believe meaningful change requires depth, precision, and care.
My work is guided not only by knowledge, but by a genuine commitment to understanding each person’s internal world and the patterns that shape their relationships, emotions, and sense of self.
I also work with therapists and mental health professionals who are seeking deeper personal and professional growth, including those who want to better understand themselves and the work they bring into the therapy room.