Maria Christoff, Ph.D, LP

Staff Psychologist/Sex Therapist/Clinical Supervisor

I offer individual and relationship (couples), family, and group therapy. My psychoanalytic therapy practice emphasizes exploring and revising emotional and relational patterns towards gaining greater self-awareness, flexibility, freedom of choice, and happiness. My practice acknowledges that much of our emotional suffering is caused by multiple forms of intersecting oppressions within late-stage capitalist white supremacist cishetpatriarchy, rather than by individual deficiencies or intrapsychic problems. Recognizing systemic oppression as a major source of challenges, rather than internalizing the messages received by experiences of discrimination, is a focus of my work. I collaborate with my clients towards imagining and developing other ways of being within these systems which lead to greater empowerment and increased satisfaction with life. I serve those who have been traditionally marginalized in mental health settings. I have extensive experience working with people of the global majority, 2SLGBTQIA+ clients, and neurodivergent clients. My therapy practice is affirming of gender identity exploration and poly/kink affirming. I emphasize collaboration, shared goals, strengths, sources of support, and resilience. The intersection of sex-gender diversity and neurodiversity is a focus of my clinical work. I am a queer, neurodivergent, Mexican American cis woman.

I graduated with a PhD in clinical psychology from the University of Detroit Mercy (UDM) in 2020. I have specific competencies in psychoanalytic theory, intervention, assessment, and research. I have been a fully licensed psychologist in the state of Michigan since 2021. I completed my American Psychological Association-approved pre-doctoral internship at Michigan State University Counseling and Psychiatric Services, where I earned a certificate in Multicultural Counseling. I am a full professional member of the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH).

I provide supervision for limited license psychologists. My supervision style is collaborative, strengths-based, feminist, and psychodynamic. I have a wide range of competencies in evidence-based practice including neuropsychological assessment. My supervision style strongly focuses on ethical considerations and includes skills building for the emotional self of the therapist, countertransference, frame-setting, scheduling, and managing the financial side of private practice work.