Macarena Santelices, MD, LCPC, LPCC

She does not provide trauma therapy and asks clients seeking trauma-focused work to choose a different therapist.

Macarena Santelices is a licensed California and Maryland clinician with 14 years of professional experience helping adults navigate stress, anxiety, relationships, family conflict, motivation, self-esteem, and confidence. She brings a strengths-based perspective that recognizes each person as the expert of their own story and emphasizes practical tools to address the challenges that interfere with daily life and wellbeing. Her work often supports people facing parenting concerns, mood disorders, life transitions, caregiving stress, chronic illness or pain, and issues related to attachment, abandonment, body image, guilt, and shame.

Macarena holds MD, LCPC, and LPCC credentials - MD indicating a medical degree and LCPC and LPCC indicating clinical counseling licenses - and she integrates evidence-based methods such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, and mindfulness to tailor care to individual needs. She meets clients where they are, collaborating to set clear goals and build skills for coping, communication, self-compassion, and healthier relationships. Sessions are offered in English and are intended to help people make steady, practical progress. Taking the first step can be difficult, and Macarena recognizes the courage it takes to begin therapy.

Therapeutic Approaches and Online Care with Macarena Santelices

Macarena Santelices draws from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, and mindfulness to help clients build practical coping skills. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy focuses on identifying unhelpful thought patterns and testing new behaviors to reduce anxiety, depression, and stress-related symptoms. Dialectical Behavior Therapy emphasizes emotional regulation, distress tolerance, and interpersonal effectiveness to support people struggling with intense emotions, impulsivity, and relationship conflicts. Mindfulness therapy teaches present-moment awareness and gentle acceptance, which can reduce rumination and improve focus during life transitions and caregiving stress.

Finding the right approach is part of the therapeutic work. Macarena collaborates with each person to understand their goals, preferences, and daily challenges, and she adapts techniques from these approaches to fit what will be most helpful. This collaborative process helps clients learn skills they can use between sessions and build lasting changes over time.

Online therapy with Macarena is offered via video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging to provide flexibility for busy schedules, caregiving responsibilities, or geographical constraints. These options make it easier to access consistent care, maintain momentum between appointments, and integrate therapeutic practices into everyday life.