Maryanne "Cindy" Cordes

I believe the most meaningful growth happens at life's thresholds: becoming a parent, ending a relationship, moving across the country or caring for someone near the end of life. As a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in New York and California, I offer a warm, collaborative space to slow down, make sense of what is changing, and find your footing. My approach is trauma-informed and psychodynamic, shaped by Jungian training that lets me work with dreams, imagery and the deeper stories that guide our lives. I'm also certified in perinatal mental health (PMH-C), and I specialize in supporting parents through pregnancy, postpartum, and the transition to parenthood. I work with adults facing life transitions, relationship challenges, trauma, depression and end of life and care giving concerns. Clients tell me I am attentive, grounded and curious, and that I help them connect their current struggles to a fuller sense of who they are. I earned my BA in English Literature from Columbia University and my MA in Psychology, with an emphasis in marriage and family therapy, from Phillips Graduate Institute in Los Angeles. I'm currently deepening my work through the Trauma Studies program at the Institute of Contemporary Psychotherapy in New York City and the Foundations of Contemplative Care program at the New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care. These trainings inform my work with trauma, grief and end of life issues.

My approach to therapy is relational, depth-oriented and paced to you. I see symptoms such as anxiety, depression and feeling stuck as meaningful signals, not problems to manage away. Together we explore what they are trying to tell you. Drawing on psychodynamic and Jungian traditions, I pay attention to the patterns that shape your relationships, the history you carry, and the inner life that shows up in your dreams, images and recurring themes and patterns. My work is trauma-informed, so I put safety, trust and your sense of choice first, and we move at a pace that feels right for you. I bring warmth, curiosity and steady presence to each session, and I'm comfortable both sitting with what is painful and staying alongside what is changing. My goal is to help you make sense of your experience in a way that feels true, and come away with more self understanding, more freedom and a deeper connection to what matters most to you.

In our first session, my main goal is for you to feel comfortable and heard. We'll start with what brought you to therapy now: what's happening in your life, what feels hardest, and what you hope might change. I'll ask some questions about your background, relationships, and history so I can understand the larger context, but you decide how much to share and how quickly. There's no need to have everything figured out or to tell your story perfectly. Many people arrive unsure where to begin, and that's a fine place to start. Throughout the session, I'll explain how I work and invite any questions you have about therapy or about me. By the end, we'll talk about what you noticed. what you might want to focus on, and whether working together feels like a good fit. Above all, the first session is a chance to see whether this feels like a space where you can be honest, curious and supported.