Meet Maria
Maria Miller, PLPC, RYT
(She/her)
UNDER THE SUPERVISION OF ABBY CLAEYS, MO LPC 2013022307
Maria is a Provisionally Licensed Professional Counselor. With a background as a trauma researcher, yoga teacher, and certified emotional intelligence assessor, Maria weaves together evidence-based techniques with individualized mindfulness prompts in her therapy work.
Maria believes that the client holds all that they need to heal and thrive, and it is her complete honor to help uncover that innate wholeness using evidence based techniques. Because of this, she believes healing is a collaborative process and is eager to help clients identify and work on their self-identified goals. With Maria, you can be 100% yourself. Her clients tell her she is genuine, caring, and insightful; together, you’ll come to know your own patterns & feel empowered to get off “autopilot” to live the life you’ve always wanted but never dared. She uses a blend of Solution-Focused Therapy, Acceptance Commitment Therapy, and Internal Family Systems to help clients nurture their own potential healing.
Her areas of focus include perinatal mental health, trauma, depression, anxiety, emotional intelligence, and mindfulness.
How did you know you wanted to become a therapist?
I had a therapist in high school, and I thought at the time, "this is the coolest job EVER!" It's been my dream job ever since. I tried just about everything under the sun to have the experience of being a therapist without having to go to graduate school (more on that below), but in the end, being a therapist is my calling. It was worth the pain of graduate school. I LOVE WHAT I DO!
What did you do before becoming a therapist?
I wore a million different hats in pursuit of my dream job... all because I didn't want to go to graduate school to become a therapist! I was a postpartum doula, a kids & adult yoga instructor, personal chef, nanny, ICF-accredited life coach and worked in marketing for an emotional intelligence non-profit. I even led an emotional intelligence workshop at Google Headquarters in California! But alas, what I really wanted to was in front of me all along... being a therapist!
All of this was in between traveling. My partner & I met in Guatemala in 2011, and we dedicated our 20's to traveling the world on a shoestring budget: Cambodia, Thailand, Mexico, Nicaragua, Italy, El Salvador, Laos, Malaysia, Canada, Honduras, Spain, Morocco... you get the idea! We decided to set roots in his native St Louis right when COVID hit, so our timing was pretty good!
Are you a mama yourself?
Yes! My daughter Alma was born in 2021. I went back to graduate school when she was 3 weeks old! She is my greatest teacher, my brightest delight, AND believe me that I get you when you talk about the trials & tribulations of parenthood ;)
Publications & Presentations
A. Freedle, D. D. Iyer & M. Miller (2022) The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Women’s Adjustment Following Pregnancy Loss, Journal of Loss and Trauma, DOI: 10.1080/15325024.2022.2051390
Miller, M., Iyer, D.D., & Freedle, A. (July, 2022). Impact of Medical and Mental Health Supports following Pregnancy Loss on Women’s Post-Loss Adjustment. Poster to be presented at the annual conference of Postpartum Support International.
Miller, M., Iyer, D.D., & Freedle, A. (August, 2022). Mental Health Outcomes of Women who have Experienced Pregnancy Loss: The Role of Social Support. Poster to be presented at the annual conference of the American Psychological Association.