Profile / United States
Cecilia Samartin, LMFT
California
Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist - relationships and coping
See online therapy options- CBT techniques
- Client-centered focus
- Narrative work
About Cecilia
Cecilia Samartin is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) practicing in California with 20 years of clinical experience. She focuses on relationship problems, grief, parenting concerns, self-esteem, and coping with life changes. Cecilia works with adults who want practical steps to handle difficult feelings and improve everyday interactions.
She uses cognitive behavioral techniques alongside client-centered and narrative approaches. That means she helps people spot unhelpful thoughts and patterns, tell their story in clearer ways, and find small experiments to try out different responses. Sessions tend to be straightforward and focused on what can change now.
Cecilia pays attention to how past experiences shape current reactions. She gently examines patterns that keep people stuck, such as attachment or control issues, and helps identify alternatives. Work may include examining family of origin issues, communication problems, or codependency patterns.
Practical skills feature in her approach - for example, thought records, behavior experiments, and clearer communication practices. She also uses narrative techniques to reorganize how clients understand painful events like loss or separation. Psychodynamic ideas may surface when exploring long-standing relational patterns.
Clients can expect a collaborative style that blends problem-focused steps with time to reflect on meaning. Cecilia encourages trying concrete strategies between sessions and reviewing what did and did not help. She asks clients to clarify goals so progress can be tracked in measurable ways.
How her approaches translate to online work
CBT is used to identify unhelpful thoughts and to set simple experiments to try between sessions. It helps with anxiety, low mood, relationship difficulties, and behavior patterns that keep someone stuck. Client-centered work focuses on listening closely and reflecting what matters most to the client so goals become clearer. Narrative therapy looks at the stories people tell about themselves and separates problems from identity to open new options for action.Finding the best approach is a collaborative process. Cecilia will discuss goals and preferences and suggest which methods to try first. She reviews progress together and adjusts methods based on what the client finds useful and practical.
Session formats are not specified in the biography, so confirm current options before booking. Online work can make it easier to fit sessions into a busy life - for example, shorter check-ins can fit into a lunch break, or video sessions allow face-to-face interaction without a commute. Therapists can also use shared worksheets and screen tools to guide CBT exercises and track progress over time. This practical focus aims to help clients integrate changes into everyday routines.
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
20+ years
Listed in
California
Languages
English
Frequently asked questions
What concerns does she address most often?
Cecilia focuses on relationship issues, grief, parenting challenges, self-esteem, and coping with life changes. She also works with related concerns such as attachment, communication problems, and caregiver stress.
How does she use Cognitive Behavioral Therapy?
She uses CBT to help people notice unhelpful thoughts and test alternative ways of responding. This often includes simple exercises like tracking thoughts and trying small behavior experiments.
What is her clinical background?
She is an LMFT with 20 years of experience practicing in California. Her work combines CBT with client-centered, narrative, psychodynamic, and solution-focused approaches.
Where is she based and licensed?
She is licensed as an LMFT in California and practices from that state.
In which language are sessions offered?
Sessions are offered in English.
Does she take international clients?
She does not accept international clients at this time.
How does payment and cost work?
Cost varies with location and sessions use a subscription model that can be canceled at any time. Specific pricing is provided when booking.
How do I begin working with her?
Start by selecting the See online therapy options button, completing a short matching questionnaire, and scheduling a first session.
Details come from information the therapist supplied to BetterHelp. A license can be checked with the state board.
Online talk therapy is not emergency care. If you are not safe, use the crisis numbers.