Location: Newport Beach, Montebello, California, & Telehealth Statewide
Position: Owner & Founder, The Couples Therapy & Reunification Counseling
License: M.S, LMFT: CA#139774, NV#4757
Maria Jessica Quiroz, M.S., LMFT
Specialties
• Court Ordered Reunification Therapy
• Court Involved Family Therapy
• Parental Alienation, Estrangement, and Parent Child Resistance
• High Conflict Coparenting
• High Conflict Separation and Custody Dynamics
• Parent Child Relationship Repair
• Attachment Based Family Therapy
• Couples Counseling and Marriage Therapy
• Communication, Trust, and Relationship Repair
• Family Systems Therapy
• Trauma Informed Family Therapy
• Parenting Support and Parent Child Relationships
• Court Consultation and Case Collaboration
• Clinical Documentation and Court Reporting
• Experience Providing Testimony in Court Involved Family Cases
Experience & Training
• 15+ years of experience working with children, couples, parents, and families
• Extensive experience with court ordered reunification therapy, high conflict coparenting, estrangement, parental alienation, and complex family systems
• Clinical training and experience through Pacific Clinics and Molina Pathways’ Full Service Partnership Crisis Unit
• Creator of the Quiroz Bridge Method™ for structured reunification and parent child relationship repair
• Extensive experience collaborating with family law attorneys, minor’s counsel, court professionals, and other treating providers
• Experience preparing clinical documentation, reunification progress reports, treatment recommendations, and providing testimony in court involved family cases
• Advanced training and ongoing clinical education in EMDR, trauma informed care, Emotionally Focused Therapy, Gottman informed couples therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, attachment based interventions, and family systems therapy
• Training in BIFF communication strategies for high conflict families and coparenting dynamics
• Many years of continuing education focused on couples therapy, attachment injuries, trauma, family conflict, parent child relationships, reunification, and court involved treatment
• Extensive experience supporting couples with communication difficulties, trust concerns, emotional disconnection, infidelity, attachment wounds, and recurring conflict patterns
• Child centered and attachment informed experience supporting children and adolescents experiencing behavioral, emotional, relational, and family challenges
Education
• Master’s Degree in Counseling Psychology, Marriage and Family Therapy emphasis, Mount Saint Mary’s University
• Bachelor of Science in Psychology with an emphasis in Applied Counseling, University of California, Santa Barbara
About
Maria Jessica Quiroz is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, Founder of The Couples Therapy & Reunification Counseling, and creator of the Quiroz Bridge Method™. With more than 15 years of clinical experience, she specializes in reunification therapy, couples counseling, parental alienation, parent child estrangement, and high conflict family dynamics.
Her work is centered on helping families repair attachment injuries, reduce conflict, strengthen communication, and rebuild meaningful connection. Maria has extensive experience working with court involved families and regularly collaborates with family law attorneys, minor’s counsel, and other court professionals to support structured, child centered reunification and family repair.
Grounded in attachment science, family systems, and trauma informed care, Maria believes that the relationships we form with ourselves, with others, and within our families deeply influence emotional development, identity, and our sense of belonging. Her approach combines clinical structure with compassion, helping children, parents, and couples move beyond cycles of conflict toward greater emotional safety, accountability, and connection.
Maria is especially passionate about helping families interrupt patterns that can be passed from one generation to the next. Her work is guided by the belief that children benefit most when the adults around them are able to lead with consistency, fairness, emotional maturity, and a shared commitment to their well being.
"Parenting with love, fairness, and unity is the key to breaking generational cycles of conflict and division."
A Mission Rooted in Personal Experience
Maria's passion for reunification therapy is both professional and personal. As a mother, she experienced firsthand the emotional impact of family conflict and separation on the parent-child bond, an experience that deepened her commitment to helping families navigate conflict with compassion, structure, and guidance.
Maria believes that even after significant conflict or estrangement, relationships can be repaired when the process is guided with patience, structure, and a child-centered approach.
Connect with Maria Jessica
Call or Text | Book a Free 10-Minute Consultation | Book an Appointment with Maria Jessica
Frequently Asked Questions About Maria Jessica Quiroz
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The Quiroz Bridge Model is a structured reunification framework Maria developed to guide families through rebuilding the relationship between a parent and child after estrangement or alienation dynamics. It combines attachment-based therapy, trauma-informed care, structured reunification phases, and parent coaching to create a gradual, child-centered path back to trust and healthy communication.
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Yes. Maria regularly works alongside family law attorneys, minor's counsel, and court professionals on cases involving parent-child estrangement, loyalty conflicts, and high-conflict custody disputes. Her approach is designed to create a safe, structured pathway toward reconnection while prioritizing the child's emotional well-being.
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Parental alienation is not a formal diagnosis in the DSM-5, but Maria stays current on the research and clinical tools used to assess parent-child relational disruptions, including the work of researchers like Dr. Craig Childress and instruments such as the Parental Acceptance-Rejection Questionnaire (PARQ). She incorporates this knowledge thoughtfully into treatment planning.
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Maria is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in California with over 15 years of experience. She completed her supervised clinical hours at Pacific Clinics and later worked in crisis intervention at Molina Pathways' Full Service Partnership program. She's trained in EMDR, Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), and CBT, all within an attachment-based, trauma-informed framework.
Visit Our Mental Health Clinic
Book Appointment:
Monday - Friday: 9AM – 6PM
Saturday: 8AM - 4PM
Sunday: Closed
Clinic Hours:
Directions:
MONTEBELLO
NEWPORT BEACH
🚨 Important Notice: Emergency Situations 🚨
If you are experiencing a crisis, feeling unsafe, or need immediate assistance, please call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room.
For mental health emergencies, you can also contact:
📞 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline – Dial 988 (Available 24/7)
📞 National Domestic Violence Hotline – 1-800-799-7233
📞 Crisis Text Line – Text HELLO to 741741
Our practice does not provide emergency services. If you need immediate help, please seek emergency support.