Maria Szabo, MHC Intern

Maria (she/her) is an Intern finishing her MA in Mental health Counseling at Hunter University with a BA in psychology from Bowdoin College and an MA in Special Education from Lesley University. She has been in education primarily in middle and highschools for 30 years and has spent 12 years working directly with and for adolescents with emotional and behavioral
difficulties.

I see life’s problems in a developmental and holistic manner and as an opportunity for growth and transformative learning. The therapeutic alliance is a powerful tool for insights and discovering perspectives as well as cultivating day to day practices to lead the fullest life possible. I have been privileged to work with young people and families from very diverse
backgrounds, and have always incorporated cultural and historical perspectives into my work. I have developed many writing curriculums for social emotional learning and wrote my master's thesis on student writing and emotional development. I have encouraged words and stories and reflection from the most quiet and resistant students and now have a strong interest in narrative therapy. My therapeutic style also draws from cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectical behavior therapy, existential therapy, gestalt therapy, and somatic and psychodynamic approaches always within the context of anempathetic, humanistic, client centered therapeutic relationship.