Meet Dr. Maria Fowlks

A note from Thrive’s founder, Dr. Erica Wollerman:
Welcome to our latest blog series! Since I am often the one writing our Thrive blogs, I wanted to make sure that our readers would be able to also get to know the amazing team I work with at Thrive. I am so grateful to work with each of these therapists and they each offer our clients something special. Since we have a team of 6, we will be sharing these blogs over the coming summer weeks!

From a very early age I knew I wanted to make a difference in people’s lives. Growing up with a mother who was a nurse and an uncle who was a firefighter, I saw how impactful being there for someone in their most vulnerable state could be. And I knew I wanted to find a way to do this too. This desire led me to obtaining my doctorate in Clinical Psychology. Through my education and professional experiences I developed a great passion for working with adolescents, their parents, and adults.

Being a therapist brings me so much joy. I get to connect with individuals from all walks of life and see the world through their lens. It is a pleasure working alongside my clients, supporting, guiding, and rooting them on as they brave the challenges life can sometimes bring. My clients are as much my teachers as I am theirs. My clients never cease to amaze and inspire me with their strength, courage, and resilience.

It is important to me that each client feels they have a safe space where they can speak freely about their thoughts and feelings, where they feel heard and understood without judgment. I hold that space for my clients and meet them where they are with an open mind and heart. I believe the therapeutic relationship is similar to being teammates. I am on my client’s team; I walk alongside them in their journey. I support, challenge, encourage, and empower my clients to make the changes they want to make.

I love my work with children, adolescents, adults, and parents. I particularly enjoy working with adolescents, as well as adults going through a life transition. Areas of focus include, but are not limited to: ADHD, Anxiety, Depression, Behavioral Issues, Parenting, Life Transitions, Racial Identity, Relationship Issues, and Women’s Issues.

My approach looks to help my clients become more understanding, accepting and compassionate in dealing with themselves and those they love. I incorporate evidence-based approaches that best fit the needs of each client. I integrate various frameworks including, family systems, cognitive-behavioral therapy, dialectical behavioral therapy, motivational interviewing, and acceptance and commitment therapy.

Although I love being a therapist, my biggest passion is being a mom. I enjoy spending time with my family outdoors taking advantage of the beautiful city we live in! I also love photography and enjoy shooting nature and architecture