Therapy that honors the bond between you and your dog
Welcome to my space—I’m glad you made it here!
My Story & Therapeutic Approach
I am Maria Vilanova, a bilingual Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist licensed in New York and Connecticut, practicing since 2012. Over the years, I have had the privilege of supporting individuals and families through a wide range of emotional, relational, and life experiences.
My approach to therapy is holistic and integrative, honoring the deep connection between mind, body, emotions, and relationships. I believe healing unfolds not only through insight, but also through awareness, connection, and the way we relate to ourselves and others in our everyday lives.
How I Work with Individuals
In our work together, I gently support clients as they move through anxiety, depression, trauma, self-esteem challenges, and life transitions. I also make space to explore the inner experiences and relational patterns that emerge across different areas of life. This process often opens the door to greater understanding, self-compassion, and meaningful change.
The strategies I use are tailored to each client and often include mindfulness, somatic awareness, attachment-based work, and emotional regulation skills. These approaches are always adapted to meet each person’s unique needs and goals.
From this perspective, I am curious about how people relate within their important relationships and how these patterns shape their lived emotional experience. Together, we may explore what feels supportive or challenging in these dynamics, and what has shaped them over time. This process can offer a meaningful way to better understand attachment, communication, and emotional regulation in everyday life.
Human–Animal Bond Work - Integrating the Human–Animal Connection
This work focuses on deepening the connection between you and your dog through greater awareness, presence, and emotional attunement. Rather than focusing on training or behavior alone, we explore the lived, relational experience of your bond—how connection is felt, communicated, and shaped in everyday moments. We slow down and notice what unfolds between you and your dog in real time, paying attention to subtle shifts in emotion, energy, and response. Over time, this process can support greater trust, emotional safety, and a more grounded, connected, and attuned relationship.
Together, we may explore how your emotional state, stress levels, and internal experience influence your dog, as well as how your dog responds in return. Many dogs are highly sensitive to subtle changes in energy and environment, and this sensitivity can become a pathway toward deeper understanding and relational awareness.
As this awareness grows, clients often notice increased moments of grounding and co-regulation within the relationship. Your dog may support a sense of calm during stress or anxiety, while also reflecting emotional states in ways that deepen insight and attunement.
For clients who already have a dog and feel drawn to include this part of their life in therapy, I welcome this work into our sessions. It is always collaborative and guided by your comfort, goals, and readiness.
My own dogs have profoundly shaped this perspective. My first dog, Rocky—my heart dog—who passed away in 2021, taught me about love, grief, and holding loss with meaning and care. My current dog, Jaxon, now five years old, continues to be a source of presence, joy, and learning, and has further deepened my understanding of relational connection in everyday life.
I am deeply grateful to both of my dogs for what they continue to teach me, and for the way they have shaped how I hold space for others exploring and deepening their own bonds.
Contact Us
Begin Your Healing Journey
You don’t need to have everything figured out to begin.
Healing often starts with a single, quiet step—and sometimes that step is simply reaching out.
Whether you’re coming as an individual, a couple, or a family, this work is rooted in connection—within yourself, with others, and in the relationships that ground you, including the bond you share with your animal. Healing doesn’t always happen through words alone—it can unfold through presence, awareness, and meaningful connection.
If drawn, take the first step. You’re welcome
Hours
Today | By Appointment |
