About Me
Hello, my name is Maria Kamel-Delgado and I am a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. I received my Master’s in Marital Family Therapy and my Bachelor’s in Human Services from California State University, Dominguez Hills. In addition, I have two Associate’s degrees in Psychology and in Social and Behavioral Sciences.
I have experience working with children, adolescents, individuals, and couples. I specialize in working with clients who struggle with symptoms of ADHD, depression, anxiety, and PTSD. I also have experience working with couples who are struggling with relational and communication issues.
I like to create a warm and welcoming environment, to help make my clients feel as comfortable as possible opening up to me about their symptoms and difficulties in life. I feel it is my responsibility to advocate for my clients to provide them with the best resources and services possible. I treat all my clients with an overwhelming sense of unconditional positive regard, to help provide my clients with a safe space to speak freely without any fear of judgment. My treatment approach is based in Dialectical Behavior Therapy and is client centered, and strengths based.
Our First Conversation
Our first session is a conversation, not an intake form. I'll ask what brought you in, what you've already tried, and what you're hoping changes. We'll figure out together whether we're a fit; if I think someone else on the team would serve you better, I'll say so.
From there, weekly 50-minute sessions are typical for the first few months. We'll check in periodically on what's working and recalibrate if something isn't. I send no homework you didn't agree to, and I don't grade you on between-session work — but I'll often suggest small experiments that move things forward faster than talk alone.
What You Can Count On From Me
The clients who've stayed longest tell me three things stand out. I track the throughline across sessions and bring it back into the room so a pattern you couldn't quite name becomes hard to miss. I push back when I think you're circling something rather than landing on it. And I treat fit as my problem to solve, not yours — if I think someone else on our team would serve you better, I'll say so before you've invested weeks finding out.
Who I’m Here For
My strongest fit is with adults in their 20s through 40s who look like they're handling life from the outside but feel persistently anxious, depleted, or disconnected underneath. That includes professionals running hot from burnout, partners working through the long aftermath of a rupture, and people processing grief or family-of-origin patterns showing up uninvited in adult relationships.
My Therapeutic Approach
I draw primarily on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). With CBT, I'm less interested in worksheets and more interested in helping you notice the thoughts that drive the loop you're stuck in — and then experimenting with what changes when you respond differently. ACT adds the piece CBT alone can miss: defining what actually matters to you, and using that as the anchor when life pulls in other directions.
For clients carrying trauma, I'm trained in EMDR and integrate it when it fits, with full transparency about what we're doing and why.
Treatment Methods
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
CBT helps you identify thought patterns that contribute to anxiety, depression, and stress — then build skills to interrupt and change them. Highly effective and well-researched.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
DBT teaches concrete skills for managing intense emotions, navigating relationships, and tolerating distress. Originally developed for borderline personality disorder, now used broadly for emotional regulation.
Mindfulness-Based Therapy
Mindfulness-based approaches build present-moment awareness and a kinder relationship with your own thoughts. Often integrated with CBT or used as a standalone practice for anxiety and depression.
Note: Each session is 60 minutes, whether it’s your first consult or an ongoing visit.
Clinical Focus
ADHDAdjustment IssuesAnxietyCareer CounselingCoping SkillsDepressionEating DisordersFamily ConflictGender Identity IssuesGrief and LossLife TransitionMartial/Pre-MaritalMood DisordersObsessive-Compulsive DisordersParentingPregnancy/PostpartumPTSDRelationship IssuesSchool ProblemsSelf EsteemSelf HarmingTraumaWomen's Issues
Location
Sessions are offered via secure video. Available statewide across California.
