Book a therapist or psychiatrist in Petaluma, CA covered by Aetna

Hello, I'm Mindy. I'm a board-certified psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner with 16 years of clinical experience. My path has included military service, community health work in rural Morocco, and care across many settings, from intensive care to hospice. These experiences shape how I show up: with warmth, curiosity, cultural humility, and respect for everyone's story. I treat the whole person, not just the diagnosis.

That means taking time to dig into your history, what has worked, what has not, and what you actually want from your care. Whether that is medication management or medication management with therapy, we figure it out together.

I work with adolescents, adults, and older adults navigating anxiety, depression, ADHD, trauma, bipolar disorder, and life transitions including loss, chronic illness, major life changes, and times when you just cannot name what is wrong yet.

LMFT, MA in Counseling Psychology from CIIS

Somatic oriented, Humanistic

I strive to create a comfortable environment where you feel safe to be your true self. Im here as a trusted partner that you can confide in, but also to challenge you and help you grow. I often will give you homework/activities /reflections/ to focus on in-between sessions.

People say I am a good listener so I will get to know you and the goals you bring to therapy

Welcome—glad you made it here!

I’m a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with experience in crisis mental health and private practice. I help adults and adolescents work through anxiety, stress, trauma, and relationship challenges. I understand the impact of high-stress roles where you’re expected to stay in control, even when things build up over time. My style is direct, grounded, and focused on what actually works in real life. I provide a space where you can be honest, feel understood, and be challenged in a way that leads to real change.

Starting therapy can feel overwhelming, but you don’t have to figure it out alone. I’m Maria Zavala, a Bilingual/Bicultural Licensed Clinical Social Worker based in California. I offer a warm, supportive space where you can show up exactly as you are. I work with individuals navigating stress, life transitions, identity exploration, and emotional challenges, with a strong focus on culturally responsive care. My goal is to help you feel seen, understood, grounded, and safe while we gently explore what’s been weighing on you and begin creating a path forward that feels authentic, steady, and truly yours.

For the past 20 years, I've worked across private practices, youth development centers, schools, and mental health clinics. My passion is to work with adults navigating major life transitions. Whether you are a college student or approaching retirement, my hope is to walk alongside you during this time of change and uncertainty; to help create the conditions for you to reconnect with your authentic self and remember what lights you up. We can explore ways to recognize and acknowledge your anxiety that moves beyond words. Incorporating expressive arts, guided imagery, and embodied exercises to help you strengthen your awareness with your emotions and rewrite old narratives.

Are you in life transition or coping with anxiety and stress ? Are you searching for deeper meaning to feel more joy and peace? Are you going through life’s uncertainty due to factors of life transition, illness, aging, identity crisis, retirement, loss of loved ones, financial stress, women’s hormonal changes? Do you want more Meaningful positive experiences and becoming your Best Authentic Self?

I am here to provide you with compassionate care, kindness and psychological and emotional support. You deserve to experience peace of mind and wellness. Life invites growth through transitions which require us to change and make tough decisions. am here to support you to THRIVE in times of change.

About Me:

I am guided by my values of Compassion, Wisdom, Healing and Empowerment. My focus is helping people THRIVE in healthy lifestyle and wellbeing.

I practice Ayurveda, a holistic lifestyle system from India that promotes balance of mind, body, and spirit through daily habits, nutrition, and self-care.

I have a Masters Degree in Clinical Social Work, and a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW), working in private practice as a Psychotherapist. I live in Los Angeles, and work in-person or hybrid, with adults, teens, couples and the aging population. I specialize in anxiety, life transitions, relationship issues, work stress/dissatisfaction, career goals, sleep disorders, substance use, trauma (ptsd/complex/acute), obsessive compulsive disorders (OCD/OCPD), attention deficit disorders (ADD/ADHD). In addition I deal with grief, isolation, and breaking creative blocks.

I am a board-certified Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP-BC) and Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) with over 8 years of clinical experience delivering compassionate, evidence-based psychiatric care to individuals navigating some of life's most challenging mental health experiences. I provide compassionate, client-centered psychiatric care via telehealth across California, including assessment, diagnosis, and treatment through evidence-based therapy and medication management. With a clinical focus, I take a collaborative, personalized approach to help you feel heard, supported, empowered and I am committed to delivering high-quality, culturally sensitive mental health care.

My practice is rooted in a genuine belief that every person, regardless of their diagnosis, background, or life history, deserves high-quality, individualized psychiatric care delivered with dignity and respect. I am a certified trauma-informed specialist with extensive clinical training in Anxiety, Depression, Bipolar, OCD, Schizophrenia, Anger Management, Self esteem, Insomnia, Post-traumatic stress disorder, Mood disorders, PTSD Personality disorders, Phobias, Coping skills and offer medication-assisted treatment (MAT) with supportive counseling for substance use and co-occurring conditions. I diagnose and administer psychotherapeutic treatments and medications to address mental, emotional, and behavioral health disorders, always with the full context of a patient's life at the center of my clinical decision-making.