Cecilia Samartin , LMFT

Cecilia Samartin is a licensed marriage and family therapist (LMFT) in California who helps people facing relationship strain, grief, parenting challenges, low self-esteem, and major life changes. She draws on two decades of clinical practice to offer steady, compassionate support during hard times. Her approach is warm and practical, focused on what people need now to feel more capable and hopeful.

Cecilia asks straightforward questions and listens closely so each person can tell their story in their own words. She uses client-centered and narrative methods to help people find meaning in painful experiences. Those methods often make it easier to see new options and to let go of unhelpful patterns.

She also draws on cognitive behavioral techniques to identify thinking and behavior patterns that keep problems stuck. Working together, she helps people develop small, doable changes that reduce distress and improve relationships. Sessions are paced to match each person’s readiness and goals.

Cecilia has focused on many related concerns over her career, including abandonment, attachment issues, body image, codependency, blended family challenges, caregiver stress, divorce, and communication problems. She aims to create a calm, nonjudgmental space where people can test new ways of relating and practice different choices.

In therapy she treats each person as the expert on their life and collaborates on practical steps forward. Her background and steady style are meant to help people feel understood, more able to manage life’s transitions, and clearer about the next steps they want to take.

Approaches that guide online sessions

Client-centered therapy focuses on listening, acceptance, and helping people find their own solutions. It is useful for people who need a calm space to sort through feelings and make personal choices.

Cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT, looks at how thoughts and behaviors interact and teaches straightforward skills to change unhelpful patterns. This approach often helps with low self-esteem, anxiety about relationships, and practical coping during life transitions.

Narrative therapy helps people tell and revise the stories they carry about themselves. It can make painful experiences feel more manageable and open the door to different ways of living and relating.

Finding the right approach is part of the work. Cecilia will collaborate with each person to choose methods that match their goals, preferences, and pace. She checks in regularly and adjusts strategies as progress is made.

Online formats offer flexibility for people with busy lives. Video calls let the therapist and client work face to face across distance. Phone sessions can be a good fit when less bandwidth is needed or for a quick check-in. Live chat and text-based messaging allow shorter, ongoing exchanges between scheduled meetings and can help maintain momentum between sessions.