Maria Mars, HCPC

Maria Mars is a Chartered Clinical Psychologist based in the United Kingdom with 27 years of experience delivering specialist psychological services to children, young people and adults across public, voluntary and private settings. She is registered with the HCPC - the Health and Care Professions Council - which indicates formal professional registration to practise in the UK.

Maria has developed focused expertise supporting people with stress and anxiety, depression, trauma and abuse, parenting difficulties, low self-esteem and identity concerns related to race and sexual orientation. Her practice also addresses grief, sleeping problems, anger, bipolar disorder, ADHD and relationship challenges, along with broader issues such as coping with life changes and compassion fatigue. Additional areas of focus include adoption and foster care matters, attachment issues, autism and Asperger syndrome, caregiver stress and communication problems.

Working from an integrative perspective, Maria draws on a range of evidence-informed approaches including Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Attachment-Based Therapy, Client-Centered Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Dialectical Behavior Therapy, adapting methods to each person’s needs. She aims to build a warm, trusting and collaborative relationship, helping clients make sense of their experiences, set achievable goals and develop practical skills to improve daily functioning. Maria welcomes international clients and offers flexible modes of online support to suit individual preferences.

Evidence-informed approaches for online care

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps people identify what matters most to them and develop practical steps to live in line with those values while learning to accept difficult thoughts or feelings. It is often used for anxiety, stress, low mood and difficulties with motivation.

Attachment-Based Therapy focuses on how early relationships shape current patterns of connection and trust, working to build safer and more secure ways of relating; it can be helpful for parenting concerns, relationship problems and attachment issues related to adoption or foster care.

Finding the right therapeutic approach is part of the work itself - Maria will collaborate with each person to explore which methods fit their needs, goals and preferences and adjust the plan as therapy progresses. This collaborative process helps ensure interventions are tailored and relevant.

Online therapy with a registered professional offers practical flexibility - sessions can take place by video call or phone, and shorter or more immediate support can be offered via live chat or text-based messaging. These options make it easier to fit therapy into busy lives, access support across distances and maintain continuity of care whether working with day-to-day challenges or longer-term issues.