Maria Celestina 'Joecel' Simkins, LCSW

Maria Celestina 'Joecel' Simkins is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) practicing in California with six years of clinical experience. She works with young adults and older adults aged 16 to 75, supporting people through stress, anxiety, trauma and abuse, low self-esteem, depression, and major life changes.

Joecel takes a person-centered, strengths-based approach that honors each individual as the expert of their own story and builds on existing strengths to pursue treatment goals. She uses evidence-based therapeutic techniques to tailor care, helping clients develop practical coping strategies and move toward greater resilience and clarity.

Her areas of focus include abandonment, body image, codependency, communication problems, feelings of emptiness, family conflicts, forgiveness, guilt and shame, immigration-related concerns, isolation and loneliness, life purpose, multicultural issues, post-traumatic stress, self-love, and sexuality. As an LCSW - a licensed clinical social worker - she applies clinical training and social work principles to guide sessions and support meaningful, sustainable progress over time.

Person-Centered and Strengths-Based Care Online

Maria Celestina 'Joecel' Simkins works from a person-centered approach that prioritizes each individual's goals and experiences, creating a collaborative space where the client's perspective guides the work. This approach is especially helpful for addressing anxiety, depression, and challenges tied to life transitions because it centers the client's values and priorities.

She also uses a strengths-based framework that identifies and builds on personal resources and abilities, helping clients shift from problem-focused thinking to noticing what already supports them. This orientation can be effective for concerns such as low self-esteem, codependency, and recovery from trauma by highlighting resilience and practical next steps.

Finding the right approach is part of the therapeutic process, and Joecel will work collaboratively with each person to determine which techniques fit their needs, goals, and preferences. She tailors evidence-based methods to the individual rather than applying a single method to everyone.

Online sessions are offered by video calls, phone, live chat, or text-based messaging, providing flexibility to choose the format that fits a client’s schedule and comfort. These options make therapy more accessible for people balancing work, schooling, caregiving, or geographic constraints while maintaining regular contact with licensed professionals and therapists.