Mara Bruckner

Mara Bruckner is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist practicing in Southern California with more than 22 years of clinical experience. She has worked in both private practice and in county and state-funded agencies, providing behavior-focused services to young children, teens, and adults diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder.

Her work has included play therapy, applied behavior analysis (ABA), social skills groups, and guidance for parents. In private practice she has extensive experience supporting teens and adults with Asperger’s syndrome or high-functioning autism, as well as adolescents and young adults facing anxiety, depression, and other issues common to that life stage. She also provides therapy to adults of any age.

Mara is certified in cognitive behavioral therapy, an evidence-based approach used to address depression, anxiety, phobias, obsessive-compulsive patterns, and relationship concerns. Her therapeutic style is warm and interactive, with humor used strategically to help lighten heavy topics. She treats each person with respect and adapts treatment to meet individual needs, drawing on cognitive behavioral, psychodynamic, solution-focused, and client-centered methods.

She favors a collaborative approach that invites clients to participate actively in their sessions, and she looks forward to working with clients who seek support.