Elena Zacarias de Palacios, LMFT
Experienced California LMFT supporting life changes
About Elena
Elena Zacarias de Palacios helps people who are coping with trauma and abuse, grief and loss, parenting stress, low self-esteem, and major life changes. She also offers support around pregnancy and childbirth concerns.
Background and approach
Elena brings 30 years of experience and practices in California as an LMFT, working with people in both English and Spanish. Elena takes a warm, respectful approach and treats each person as the expert on their life.
She listens carefully and asks questions that help people name what matters most to them. Her goal is to build practical steps that feel doable between sessions.
Sessions often focus on strengthening confidence and everyday coping skills. For parenting concerns she helps parents sort priorities, set realistic expectations, and find small routines that reduce stress.
When grief or trauma is present, she works at the client’s pace and uses methods that help people feel more grounded. Elena uses client-centered ideas to keep the work focused on each person’s values and goals.
She also draws on internal family systems to help people understand different parts of themselves. Hypnotherapy may be offered as a tool to access calm and shift habits when appropriate.
Her style is collaborative and practical. People can expect clear steps, gentle challenge, and attention to cultural and language needs in English or Spanish.
Taking the first step is often the hardest, and Elena aims to make the process straightforward and respectful.
How Elena’s Methods Translate to Online Care
Client-Centered Therapy focuses on listening and responding to what matters most to the client. In practice this means sessions aim to reflect the client's values, build on strengths, and set goals the client wants to reach. It helps with motivation, self-esteem, and decisions around parenting or life change.Internal Family Systems looks at the different parts inside a person and how they relate to one another. This approach can help people understand inner conflicts, reduce self-blame, and find more calm when dealing with trauma or grief. Hypnotherapy is used as a practical technique to encourage relaxation and shift unhelpful patterns when a client is open to it.
Finding the best fit is part of the work. Elena will talk with each person about goals and preferences and then try different methods to see what helps most. The process is collaborative and adapts to the client’s pace and comfort level.
Online formats include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging. Video calls allow face-to-face conversation when needed, while phone sessions work well when bandwidth is limited. Live chat and text messaging make it easier to fit quick check-ins into a busy day or to continue work between sessions. These options make therapy more flexible and easier to match with real life.
Frequently asked questions
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Specialties and expertise
Top specialties
- Trauma and abuse
- Grief
- Parenting issues
Also works with
Therapeutic approaches
- Experience
- 30 years
- Licensed
- California
- Languages
- English, Spanish