Therapist in San Marcos, California Marcella Santamaria, Therapist

Marcella Santamaria, LCSW, helps teens, adults, and seniors across California navigate life’s emotional and relational challenges with warmth, cultural sensitivity, and clinical expertise. Practicing at LifeStance Health, she offers individual, couples, and family therapy, supporting clients through a variety of concerns including depression, anxiety, PTSD, and life transitions. Marcella creates a safe and collaborative space where clients can reflect, heal, and reconnect with their strengths.

Marcella is particularly passionate about supporting individuals working through trauma, grief, and midlife or later-life transitions. She has extensive experience helping clients address the lasting impact of painful experiences while building resilience and emotional regulation skills. Whether supporting someone through postpartum depression, relationship challenges, or the evolving demands of aging, Marcella tailors treatment using Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and mindfulness techniques to promote stability and self-empowerment.

Marcella is also experienced in working with the LGBTQ+ community and provides gender-affirmative medical readiness evaluations. She offers inclusive, affirming care that acknowledges the complex relationship between identity, mental health, and social stressors. Her approach is relational and grounded in compassion, particularly when serving clients with substance use concerns, school avoidance, or gender identity exploration. In addition to her primary focus areas, she offers psychological testing and care for a wide range of mental health conditions.

Outside of her clinical work, Marcella enjoys hiking, listening to music, and spending time with family and friends. Her love for connection and the outdoors reflects the same grounding and balance she encourages in her clients.