- 30 years experience
- Bilingual English Spanish
- Client-centered care
About Elena
Elena Zacarias de Palacios is a California licensed marriage and family therapist with 30 years of experience. She focuses on trauma and abuse, grief and loss, parenting concerns, self-esteem, and coping with life changes. She also pays attention to issues that arise around pregnancy and childbirth. Elena speaks English and Spanish and aims to make first steps feel manageable for people who are anxious about starting therapy.
Elena works from a belief that each person knows their own story. She listens to what matters most and builds on a person's existing strengths. Sessions are conversational and focused on practical steps clients can try between meetings. She offers a calm, steady presence while helping people name what they want to change.
Her approach draws from client-centered work, Internal Family Systems, and hypnotherapy. That mix lets her combine respectful listening with ways to address internal parts, stuck patterns, and difficult memories. She tailors interventions to the concern at hand rather than using a single method for everyone.
Over three decades she has supported people through loss, painful memories, shifts in identity, and the ups and downs of parenting. Elena encourages small, realistic goals and checks in about what is and isn’t working. Her focus is on helping people build confidence and practical coping strategies.
If you are considering therapy, she suggests taking a first short step by completing the intake questionnaire. From there you can schedule according to the therapist's availability and see if the approach feels like the right fit.
How these approaches translate to online work
Client-Centered Therapy focuses on listening without judgment and following what the client says is most important. It helps when someone needs a steady, empathetic space to sort through feelings and make decisions.Internal Family Systems looks at internal parts or voices that hold different feelings and beliefs. It can help people who feel pulled in different directions, or who carry painful memories and stuck reactions.
Hypnotherapy involves guided relaxation and focused attention to help access thoughts and patterns that feel hard to change. When used carefully, it can support work on confidence, motivation, and shifting responses to difficult memories.
Finding the right approach is part of the therapy process. The therapist will talk with each person about goals and preferences, and together they will try methods that fit the concern and comfort level. That collaborative plan can be adjusted as sessions progress.
The practical benefits of online therapy include making it easier to fit sessions into a busy day and reducing travel time. Since the biography does not list specific session formats, confirm current options before booking. Online work can allow for shorter check-ins or longer sessions depending on what fits a client’s schedule and needs.
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
30+ years
Listed in
California
Languages
English, Spanish
Frequently asked questions
What concerns does this therapist help with?
Elena focuses on trauma and abuse, grief and loss, parenting issues, self-esteem, and coping with life changes, and she also works with concerns related to pregnancy and childbirth.
How would you describe the therapeutic style here?
Sessions are conversational and client-centered, with an emphasis on listening and building on a person’s strengths. Practical steps and check-ins are used to track progress.
What experience does the therapist bring?
The therapist has 30 years of professional experience working with these concerns in California.
What credential and location apply to this therapist?
She is a California licensed marriage and family therapist, listed as LMFT, and practices in California.
In which languages are sessions offered?
Sessions are offered in English and Spanish. International clients are not currently accepted.
What session formats are available?
The original biography does not list specific session formats; please confirm current session options before booking.
How does payment or cost work?
Costs vary with location and therapist availability; sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
What steps do I take to begin therapy?
Select the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule according to therapist availability.