About Me

I'm Dr. Maria Niitepold, a psychologist who specializes in trauma. Most of the people I work with have been carrying something hard for a long time and have already tried a lot of things to feel better. They've read the books. They've been in therapy. They understand their patterns. And they're still stuck.
That gap, between understanding what's wrong and actually being able to change it, is where my work begins. The kinds of trauma that live in the body and the nervous system don't fully resolve through conversation alone, no matter how skilled the conversation is. They need a different kind of approach.
I'm trained in EMDR, Brainspotting, and CRM (the Comprehensive Resource Model): three approaches that work directly with the nervous system, where the trauma is actually stored. Most of what I see in my practice involves high-functioning anxiety, the aftermath of narcissistic or emotionally neglectful relationships, the exhaustion that comes from years of having to be the strong one, and the particular kind of stuckness that comes from being competent on the outside and quietly struggling underneath.
I'm also a veteran. I enlisted in the Marine Corps in 2010, worked in the VA for several years, and am now a VA Community Care provider in Florida, working with veterans on PTSD, MST, and post-deployment readjustment. I also have particular experience working with LGBTQ+ and immigrant clients as a member of each of those communities myself, where identity-based stress, systemic trauma, and the strain of navigating multiple cultural contexts often shape how trauma presents and how healing unfolds.
I see clients in person at my Gulf Breeze, FL office and online across New York, Florida, and all PsyPact states.