Dr. Maria Meinerding, PhD
Hi! I'm Maria, a California psychologist specializing in online therapy for adults navigating trauma, anxiety, OCD, substance use, and major life transitions — warm, evidence-based care at your own pace.
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Working with Maria
I work with adults across California navigating stress, anxiety, OCD, trauma, substance use, identity-related concerns, and major life transitions. I'm a good fit if you want warm, collaborative therapy that balances insight with practical tools — including ERP for OCD, trauma-informed care, and culturally responsive, LGBTQ+ affirming support around parenthood, career shifts, relationships, or identity.
My practice is rooted in empathy, cultural humility, and social justice. Mental-health treatment isn't one-size-fits-all, and our experiences don't exist in a vacuum — I'll partner with you to understand your individual story and the impact of broader systems, honoring your experiences related to LGBTQ+ identity, military service, and racial and ethnic identity.
I bring warmth and humor to our sessions, drawing on my training and my lived experience as a queer woman raised in rural Ohio, a decade in New York City, and now a new mom in San Diego. I'm a deep believer that we're all doing the best we can with what we've got — and I'm here to meet you where you are.
What Maria treats
Intrusive thoughts you can't shake, and the checking or rituals you do to feel okay.
Struggling after a really stressful experience — difficult memories, sleep, feeling on edge, and changes in how you see yourself, other people, or the world.
Constant worry or racing thoughts, panic, that "what if" loop you can't switch off.
Care that accounts for your culture, background, and identity — and never asks you to leave any part of yourself at the door.
Low mood, loss of interest, exhaustion, or feeling stuck and disconnected from what used to matter.
Affirming support around gender identity and transition, with collaborative care that centers you.
Living with loss — of a person, a relationship, a future you expected — at your own pace.
Affirming support for queer lives and relationships, from someone who won't make you explain the basics.
The emotional side of aging — health changes, memory, purpose, loss, and what comes next.
The hard parts of trying to conceive, pregnancy, postpartum, or loss.
Specific, intense fears — of places, situations, or things — that quietly shrink what your life can include.
Feeling stretched thin, overwhelmed, or running on empty — a low-pressure place to start when everything feels like too much.
Looking honestly at alcohol or drug use and what you want it to look like — without shame.
Care that understands the weight of service and frontline work — burnout, trauma, transition, and moral injury.
Maria also brings specific experience with: Identity Exploration, Sex & Gender, Body Liberation, Life Transitions, Meaning Making, Perfectionism, Self-Esteem, Health Conditions, History of Incarceration, Marginalized backgrounds.
Approaches Maria uses
What clients say
Maria carries a 5.0 / 5 rating across 22 reviews on Healthgrades. Per APA Ethics Code §5.05, we don't paraphrase or excerpt patient testimonials on our own pages — you can read the verbatim reviews on Healthgrades directly.
Read reviews on Healthgrades →Other clinicians at Grounded.
If Maria isn’t the right fit — or the schedule doesn’t work — these clinicians might be.
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