- Years in practice
- 15
- Credentials
- LCSW
- Licensed in
- New York
- Languages
- English
- Focus
- Stress, Anxiety
- Focus
- Relationship issues
- Focus
- Family conflicts
About Maya
Maya Handwerk is a licensed clinical social worker with 15 years of experience supporting people through stress, anxiety, grief, parenting concerns, and life changes. She practices in New York and speaks English. Maya aims to make therapy practical and approachable for a busy parent who needs clear steps and steady guidance.
Maya brings experience from education, legal, and community settings. She has provided both advocacy and clinical care alongside psychiatrists when medication or coordinated care was helpful.
Background and approach
That background shapes a style that balances listening with action and with respect for cultural differences. In sessions she combines client-centered conversations with structured tools. She uses cognitive behavioral techniques to identify unhelpful thinking and to build better coping skills.
Mindfulness practices are introduced to reduce anxiety and to help with mood regulation. Maya also draws on psychodynamic ideas to look at patterns that repeat over time. Motivational interviewing helps when someone needs support making a change.
She adapts her approach to what the person wants to work on, whether that is parenting stress, relationship strain, depression, or recovering from trauma. People can expect direct, down-to-earth guidance and practical exercises to try between sessions.
Maya emphasizes cultural awareness, especially with African American and Caribbean backgrounds, and she uses what she learned in community roles to connect treatment to daily life.
What Maya works with
Everything Maya lists, in the therapist's own terms. Parenting is the reason this directory exists; the rest shows what else Maya helps people with.
- Stress, Anxiety
- Relationship issues
- Family conflicts
- Trauma and abuse
- Parenting issues
- Grief
- Anger management
- Career difficulties
- Bipolar disorder
- Depression
- Coping with life changes
- Abandonment
- Adoption and foster care
- Attachment issues
- Blended family issues
- Control issues
- Divorce and separation
- Midlife crisis
- Multicultural concerns
- Post-traumatic stress
- Prejudice and discrimination
- Young adult issues
Approaches Maya lists
- Client-Centered Therapy
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Mindfulness Therapy
- Motivational Interviewing
- Psychodynamic Therapy
- Solution-Focused Therapy
Listing an approach is not evidence of training in it. This directory copies what each therapist names and does not check training records.
Therapeutic approaches and online care
Client-centered therapy focuses on a person’s experiences and feelings. The therapist listens, reflects, and follows the person’s lead to build trust and clarify goals. This approach is useful for parenting worries, relationship stress, grief, and navigating life changes.Cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT, looks at the links between thoughts, feelings, and behavior. It uses structured exercises to test unhelpful thoughts and to build new coping skills for anxiety, depression, and mood swings. Mindfulness therapy teaches simple attention and breathing practices to reduce reactivity and to improve mood regulation.
Maya treats the choice of approach as a team decision. She will talk with each person about goals, preferences, and what has helped in the past. Together they decide which methods to try and adjust the plan as progress is made.
Online therapy offers several practical benefits. Video calls recreate face-to-face conversation, while phone sessions work well when video is difficult or when bandwidth is low. Live chat and text-based messaging make brief check-ins and emotional support easier between sessions or for tight schedules. These options make it simpler to fit therapy into daily life and to keep continuity when routines change.
Questions people ask about Maya
What concerns does she address?
Maya supports people with stress, anxiety, depression, parenting issues, grief, trauma and abuse, anger, relationship strain, career concerns, bipolar disorder, and coping with life changes.
How would you describe her therapy style?
She uses a practical, down-to-earth style that blends listening with concrete tools. Sessions often include talk, skill practice, and steps to try between meetings.
What is her background and experience?
She has 15 years of experience providing advocacy and clinical services in education, legal, and community settings and has worked alongside psychiatrists when coordinated care was needed.
What credentials and location are listed?
She holds an LCSW credential and practices in New York.
Which languages and international options are available?
Sessions are offered in English and international clients are not currently accepted.
What session formats are offered?
Therapy is available by video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging to suit different schedules and needs.
How does payment and cost work?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability; sessions use a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.
How do I begin working with her?
Start by selecting the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and then schedule sessions according to therapist availability.
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