Maria Elena Umana, LMFT — Therapist in California

Hi there, I'm Maria Elena!

I’m a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) with 10+ years of experience helping adults heal from trauma, depression, and painful family experiences. I help you understand your past, release resentment, reconnect with yourself and others, find purpose, and move forward with hope.

My focus

I work primarily with Spanish-speaking adults navigating acculturation and life transitions. I support clients experiencing trauma, depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, grief, and painful family experiences. I help clients rebuild self-worth, identity, purpose, and hope.

My approach

My approach is compassionate, culturally sensitive, and trauma-informed. I use CBT, Person-Centered, and Solution-Focused Therapy to help you understand how your past shaped your present, break unhelpful patterns, rebuild confidence and self-love, trust yourself, and become the person you want to be.

My communication style

My communication style is warm, compassionate, and nonjudgmental. I want therapy to feel comfortable and natural, like talking with a trusted friend who listens without judgment. I create a safe space where you can be yourself, explore difficult experiences, and feel heard, understood, and supported.

My journey to mental healthcare

I discovered I was a good fit for therapy through my own life experiences and challenges. Experiencing loss, hardship, difficult relationships, and adversity taught me resilience, empathy, and valuable coping skills. I’m driven to share these skills with my clients and help them recognize their own strength and ability to heal.

My goals for you

I work collaboratively with clients to identify goals that reflect their values, strengths, relationships, and personal priorities. Together, we create realistic, and meaningful goals, track progress, and adjust treatment as needed. My goal is to help clients build confidence, resilience, and lasting positive change.

Our first session

In our first session, we’ll explore your experiences, patterns, strengths, and goals to build healing, resilience, confidence, and self-empowerment.

I identify as...

Female
Hispanic or Latinx
Christian

Expertise

Specialties

+ 5 more

Treatment approaches

Cognitive Behavioral (CBT)

Solution Focused Brief (SFBT)

Trauma Focused

+ 3 more

Therapy types

Couples Therapy
Individual Therapy

Ages served

Adults

Practice

Accepted insurance providers

Carelon Behavioral Health
Aetna
All Savers
Allegiance
Allied

+ 59 more

Languages spoken

English, Spanish

Education

Master of Arts (MA) in Marriage and Family Therapy from Phillips Graduate University.

Sessions

60 minutes

Virtual sessions

Maria Elena Umana