¡SALUDOS!
I'm Dr. María José Rendón
LICENSED PSYCHOLOGIST · BILINGUAL · IMPOSTER SYNDROME SPECIALIST
I support scientists, graduate students, civil servants, and neurodivergent professionals ready to dismantle their harsh inner critic and break free from imposter syndrome.
I offer therapy in English and Spanish and bring my lived experience as an immigrant and first-generation professional to every relationship. If you’ve ever felt like you were auditing yourself instead of being yourself, you’re in the right place.
Where I Come From, How I Work
Guayaquil, Ecuador – 1990
One-way ticket: humid, familiar Guayaquil to shiny, fast-paced Miami. Migrating to the U.S. was my family’s leap toward stability and opportunity. But as a high schooler just finding her own sense of self, I was starting over in a new language, a different culture, and without a map.
I remember my childhood friends saying ‘nunca cambies’ — don’t ever change. But as I broke through uncharted territory, I learned the hard way that closing myself off to new things would not help me move forward.
Knowing when to hold on to old scripts and when to try new ones became a crucial skill — and eventually, the foundation of the work I do with clients today. What I also learned is that these experiences can be deeply isolating without the right support. Finding people who get it is what finally gave me permission to not mask all the time.
More than twenty years later, I carry the perspectives of an immigrant, a cultural and linguistic minority, and a U.S.-trained scientist-practitioner. I am proud of this path. My hope is that I can be one of the people in your life who genuinely gets it, and can help you see, clearly, what you bring to the table.
Ph.D. conferred – Miami, 2015
CLINICAL TRAINING
Clinical training in South Florida meant I did not have to go looking for Latinx communities to serve – they are at the heart of the clinical experience. Experiences included community mental health centers, the FIU counseling center, and the Mailman Center for Child Development.
RESEARCH TRAINING
I coordinated the CAMPOS Project, an RCT evaluating culturally adapted CBT for trauma among Latinx patients. I also was one of the treating clinicians. I learned to deliver CBT with clinical trial fidelity, under supervision in English and Spanish.
My coursework included advanced psychometrics. For my dissertation, I culturally adapted the CAPS — the gold standard PTSD assessment — for Spanish-speaking Latinx groups.
CBT SPECIALIZATION
I have advanced training in CBT through the Beck Institute (founded by the developers of CBT).
I attended the IOCDF’s Behavior Therapy Training Institute, once in English and once in Spanish. The BTTI is the gold standard in ERP training.
NEURODIVERGENT-AFFIRMING CARE
I continue to pursue continuing education in ADHD, Autism and OCD, including advanced ADHD training at MGH Academy, neuroaffirming approaches to OCD for autistic and ADHDers, and engaged in year-long consultation on neurodiversity.
CULTURAL AND LINGUISTIC PRACTICE
My caseload is typically 40–50% Spanish speakers and/or neurodivergent. I continue to engage in peer consultation in both English and Spanish, and seek out trainings delivered in Spanish where available.
For those who like the details
↠ my full CV ↞
Ph.D. conferred – Miami, 2015
Clinical
training
Research
training
CBT
specialization
Neurodivergent
affirming
care
Research
training
↠ For those who like the details — my full CV is here ↞
Most people expect therapy to be open-ended and exploratory. What I offer to clients is more structured and goal-directed. For me, that’s intentional. The structured style of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy resonates with the way I already think and approach problems in my own life. I find that it brings a sense of safety and direction for clients who are looking for concrete ways to understand and manage their emotions.
CBT helps people critically examine their thoughts and emotions — and when presented thoughtfully, the concepts are accessible and can be profoundly empowering, especially when people feel stuck and unable to find alternatives to managing stress.
But structure alone isn’t enough. To do introspective work, you have to be willing to take a risk: to share the parts of yourself that are hard to sit with. My commitment is to offer a space where all of those parts feel safe enough to surface.
What I bring to our work together is both: a rigorous clinical method and a genuine human connection. I offer structure, direction, and accountability alongside authentic investment in your goals. My aim is to help you understand what is keeping you stuck, build the skills to move differently, and leave therapy with tools that take you closer to your goals.
Take the next step
You’ve done the hard part just by getting here. Let’s talk.
Questions first? hello@potomaccbt.com – 240 200 0842