Macarena Santelices
Collaborative clinician focused on practical skills
MD, LCPC, LPCC California
- Experience
- 14 years in practice
- Focus areas
- Stress, Anxiety, Relationship, Family
- Approaches
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
- Languages
- English
About Macarena
Macarena Santelices is a licensed clinician with 14 years of professional experience who supports people facing stress, anxiety, relationship and family concerns, and struggles with self-esteem and depression.
Background and approach
She holds an MD and is credentialed as an LCPC and LPCC (MD LCPC LC11084, CA LPCC 16678), and she practices in California. Her background includes helping clients navigate parenting challenges, life transitions, and a range of emotional concerns such as abandonment, attachment issues, body image, caregiver stress, chronic illness and pain, and mood-related difficulties.
Her style centers on collaboration and practical skill-building, drawing from cognitive behavioral techniques alongside dialectical behavior and mindfulness strategies to help clients develop clearer thinking patterns, emotional regulation, and present-moment awareness.
She approaches each person as the expert of their own story, aiming to meet clients where they are while identifying achievable goals and strengths to rely on during change. Macarena emphasizes practical steps and consistent supports to build confidence and coping capacity.
She asks prospective clients seeking trauma-focused therapy to pursue a different clinician, and she offers several remote session formats to fit varied schedules and needs. Taking the first step into therapy can feel difficult, and she frames that choice as an important beginning toward change.
Evidence-Informed Strategies for Online Care
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy focuses on identifying and changing unhelpful thought patterns and behaviors to reduce symptoms like anxiety and low mood; it offers concrete tools for everyday situations. Dialectical Behavior Therapy emphasizes emotion regulation, distress tolerance, interpersonal effectiveness, and mindfulness skills to help people manage intense emotions and improve relationships. Mindfulness Therapy encourages present-moment awareness and nonjudgmental attention to thoughts and sensations to reduce reactivity and increase self-awareness.
Choosing the right approach is part of the therapeutic process, and she works collaboratively with each client to determine which methods best match their needs, goals, and preferences. Together they explore what feels workable and adjust strategies over time so the treatment aligns with changing priorities.
Online sessions are offered by video, phone, live chat, or text-based messaging to provide flexibility for different schedules and life demands. These options make it easier to access regular appointments, practice skills between sessions, and maintain continuity of care when in-person visits are not possible. Licensed professionals can adapt CBT, DBT, and mindfulness techniques effectively in remote formats to support steady progress.
Frequently asked questions
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Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
14+ years
Licensed
California, Maryland
Languages
English