Macarena Santelices, MD, LCPC, LPCC
Licensed in California · 14 years in practice
Macarena Santelices is a licensed clinician in California with 14 years of clinical experience.
License and registration
- LPCC, California
- 16678 · expires May 2026
- LCPC, Maryland
- LC11084 · expires January 2028
- NPI
- 1528659489 · national provider identifier
- Years in practice
- 14
- Languages
- English
Details are as listed on the therapist's public professional profile. You can check any license with the state board and any NPI with the national registry.
About Macarena
Macarena Santelices is a licensed clinician in California with 14 years of clinical experience. She holds an MD and is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor, LCPC, and also holds a California LPCC credential. She focuses on practical help for everyday struggles and meets people where they are.
She helps with stress and anxiety using straightforward, goal-focused work. She also addresses relationship and family concerns and supports people managing self-esteem and motivation.
Background and approach
Sessions aim to identify clear next steps rather than stay stuck on problems. Her practice also covers parenting concerns and coping with life changes. Additional focus areas include body image, caregiving stress, chronic illness or pain, communication problems, and issues around abandonment and attachment.
Macarena pays attention to mood disorders, shame and guilt, isolation, and questions of life purpose. Her style is collaborative and direct. She treats people as the experts on their own lives and offers tools to make daily life more manageable.
Clients can expect skill-building work and practical strategies they can use between meetings. Macarena uses approaches such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, and mindfulness work to help people manage emotions and change unhelpful patterns. She supports clients in setting measurable goals and tracking progress.
Taking the first step can feel hard, and she aims to make beginning therapy simple and straightforward.
Focus areas and approaches
Everything Macarena lists on their public professional profile, in their own terms.
- Stress, Anxiety
- Relationship issues
- Family conflicts
- Self esteem
- Depression
- Parenting issues
- Coping with life changes
- Abandonment
- Attachment issues
- Body image
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Chronic pain, illness, and disability
- Communication problems
- Forgiveness
- Guilt and shame
- Impulsivity
- Isolation / loneliness
- Life purpose
- Midlife crisis
- Money and financial issues
- Mood disorders
- Self-love
- Sexuality
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Women's issues
- Workplace issues
Approaches Macarena names
Naming an approach is not evidence of training in it. This directory copies what each therapist lists and does not check training records.
Online support
Online approaches that build coping skills
Macarena uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to help people notice thoughts and behaviors that keep problems going and to practice new, more helpful responses. CBT is often used for anxiety, depression, and day-to-day stressors.She also applies Dialectical Behavior Therapy skills to teach emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and clearer communication. DBT-style skills can be useful when emotions feel intense or when impulsive reactions create trouble.
Finding the right approach is part of the work. The therapist will talk with each person about their goals and preferences, then try techniques that fit their situation. This is a collaborative process and methods can be adjusted over time.
Online therapy offers practical flexibility. Video calls allow face-to-face conversation, phone sessions work when bandwidth is limited, and live chat or text-based messaging are options for short check-ins or written reflections. These formats make it easier to fit sessions into busy days and to continue work between meetings.
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Questions people ask
What concerns does she commonly address?
She works with stress, anxiety, relationship and family concerns, self-esteem, depression, parenting, and coping with life changes. She also focuses on issues like body image, caregiver stress, chronic pain or illness, and isolation.
What is her therapy style like?
Her approach is practical and collaborative. Sessions emphasize skill building, clear goals, and concrete steps to manage emotions and daily challenges.
How long has she been practicing?
She has 14 years of professional work experience in clinical settings and community care.
What credentials and region are listed?
She holds an MD, is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC), and holds a California LPCC credential. She practices in California.
In which languages are sessions offered?
Sessions are offered in English only and international clients are not accepted at this time.
What session formats are available?
Sessions can be conducted by video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging to suit different needs and schedules.
How is cost handled?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability; sessions use a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.
How do I begin working with her?
Start by selecting the Start Therapy button and completing a short matching questionnaire. Then schedule sessions based on the therapist's availability.
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