Maria Grish · LMHC
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ABOUT MARIA GRISH, LMHC

Helping you change the patterns that keep you stuck.

I'm Maria Grish, a Licensed Mental Health Counselor in Florida and a Certified Advanced Schema Therapist. I help people understand and change the deeper patterns that keep them feeling stuck — offering Schema Therapy in Florida by telehealth and in person in Boca Raton.

I work with adults who are often high-functioning in daily life, yet keep struggling with anxiety, relationship patterns, or emotional difficulties that don't resolve with surface-level approaches.

20+
years of clinical experience
ISST
Advanced Schema Therapist, Trainer & Supervisor
PhD
medical training (M.D. equivalent) & PhD in psychiatry
EN / RU
therapy in English & Russian
MY STORY

From medicine to the inner life.

For over 20 years I've worked with a wide range of individuals across different clinical settings, beginning my career as a psychiatrist. That experience gave me a deep understanding of the many ways emotional suffering shows up in people's lives.

I became a therapist because I believe in people's capacity for deep, lasting change — not just managing symptoms, but understanding and transforming the patterns that shape how we feel, relate, and live.

My background includes medical training (M.D. equivalent) and a PhD in psychiatry in Russia, and a Master's in Mental Health Counseling from Nova Southeastern University.

CREDENTIALS & TRAINING

A rare depth of training.

—
Licensed Mental Health Counselor
State of Florida · License MH23630
—
ISST Certified Advanced Schema Therapist
Trainer & Supervisor · International Society of Schema Therapy
—
PhD in Psychiatry
Medical training (M.D. equivalent) & doctoral training in psychiatry, Russia
—
M.S. Mental Health Counseling
Nova Southeastern University · Fort Lauderdale, Florida
—
Psi Chi, The International Honor Society in Psychology
Lifetime Member · Nova Southeastern University Chapter
AREAS OF FOCUS

Deeper, long-standing patterns that short-term work rarely shifts.

The work I commonly do focuses on the patterns underneath the symptom:

01
Personality disorders & traits
Including borderline, narcissistic, and avoidant patterns.
02
Narcissistic & emotional abuse recovery
Healing after emotionally abusive relationships.
03
Relationship patterns & attachment
The cycles that keep repeating in how you connect.
04
Complex trauma & developmental wounds
Early experiences that still shape the present.
05
Chronic anxiety & emotional reactivity
Persistent anxiety that doesn't fully settle.
06
Therapy & growth for therapists
Deeper personal and professional work for clinicians.
HOW I WORK
Warm & direct
A real relationship, not a clinical distance. I'm engaged, honest, and fully present with what you bring.
Depth with structure
I combine depth-oriented work with structure and clarity — a space that is both supportive and focused.
Tailored to you
Therapy is shaped around what is most relevant and meaningful to you, at your pace.
RESEARCH & PUBLICATIONS

Research & Publications

Before establishing my clinical and professional work in the United States, I conducted academic research and published under my prior name, Maria Grishkina, including the abbreviated publication name M.N. Grishkina. These publications are part of my professional record as Maria Grish, Ph.D.

My research has included depression and anxiety, childhood trauma and stress, personality disorders, psychophysiology, and biological mechanisms associated with mental health conditions. This background continues to inform my evidence-based clinical work and my current professional interests in Schema Therapy, personality patterns and disorders, relational trauma, shame, and subjugation.

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
Pochigaeva K, Druzhkova T, Yakovlev A, Onufriev M, Grishkina M, et al. (2017). Hair cortisol as a marker of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis activity in female patients with major depressive disorder.
Metabolic Brain Disease, 32(2), 577–583  ·  DOI: 10.1007/s11011-017-9952-0
Druzhkova T, Pochigaeva K, Yakovlev A, Kazimirova E, Grishkina M, et al. (2019). Acute stress response to a cognitive task in patients with major depressive disorder: Potential metabolic and proinflammatory biomarkers.
Metabolic Brain Disease, 34(2), 621–629  ·  DOI: 10.1007/s11011-018-0367-3
Grishkina MN, Guliaeva NV, Akzhigitov RG, Gersamia AG, Menshikova AA, Freiman SV, Guekht AB. (2015). The effect of childhood stress on the development of mental disorders in adults.
S.S. Korsakov Journal of Neurology and Psychiatry, 115(12), 169–176  ·  DOI: 10.17116/jnevro2015115112169-176
Gerasimovich ES, Yakovlev AA, Druzhkova TA, Grishkina MN, Guekht AB, Gulyaeva NV. (2016). Activation of caspases in lymphocytes of patients with borderline personality disorders.
Biochemistry (Moscow), Supplement Series B: Biomedical Chemistry, 10(3), 246–250  ·  DOI: 10.1134/S1990750816030021
Bondarenko EA, Shadrina MI, Grishkina MN, Druzhkova TA, Akzhigitov RG, Gulyaeva NV, Guekht AB, Slominsky PA. (2016). Genetic Analysis of BDNF, GNB3, MTHFR, ACE and APOE Variants in Major and Recurrent Depressive Disorders in Russia.
International Journal of Medical Sciences, 13(12), 977–983  ·  DOI: 10.7150/ijms.16642
View Maria Grish's full publication record on Google Scholar →

"Maria's depth of knowledge and compassionate approach creates a truly transformative therapeutic experience."

SYSTEMIC SOLUTIONS COUNSELING CENTER

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JOHN A. SHEDD

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