Maria comes to her calling as a trauma therapist and founder of Nest Behavioral Health via a circuitous route as an investment banker, wife, and parent. Now, with hindsight, she is grateful for her own trauma-healing journey that shaped her understanding of the human experience and led her to a life-long search for spiritual understanding.

Maria's early clinical work focused on treating substance use disorders co-occurring with trauma, both in private practice and at Freedom Institute, where she redesigned portions of the Intensive Outpatient Program to focus more intentionally on successful outcomes. It was at this time that she became extensively trained in Dialectical Behavioral Therapy and in Psychodrama, developing an appreciation for the value of a multi-disciplinary behavioral and experiential approach to treatment.

Since that time, Maria has furthered her expertise in trauma treatment with post-graduate training in cognitive, behavioral and somatic methods including EMDR, CPT for PTSD, IFS, and SE™.  With a foundational understanding of polyvagal theory as the underpinning of how these treatment modalities complement each other, Maria developed Nest’s unique, integrative psychotherapeutic model for people whose nervous systems are carrying chronic patterns of early adverse experiences.

With compassion, discretion and a commitment to excellence in outcomes, Maria has helped countless patients heal, including victims of sexual torture, wrongfully convicted exonerees, the families of prominent politicians, celebrities and businesspeople, 9/11 first responders, emergency room physicians, refugees, the chronically ill and countless others who have suffered the debilitating effects of trauma for much too long.

Maria has a well-earned reputation for effective treatment of complex cases, stemming from years of thoughtfully applying well-researched innovations and a talent for leading clinical teams in collaboration to generate desired results for patients. She is a sought-after international speaker and trainer on topics related to the treatment of PTSD and Developmental Trauma as they manifest in relational, financial and spiritual challenges. She also facilitates personal growth workshops and is currently writing a chapter on post-traumatic growth for a textbook on sociometry to be published by Springer in 2026.

We should invite nothing less than complete victory over the psychological, physical and spiritual challenges to achieving the fullness of human potential.

Maria Kratsios, LCSW, MA