Dr. María del Carmen Gutierrez
Licensed Clinical Psychologist. Helping adults, teens, and couples create meaningful change.
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Understanding the person behind the symptoms
People come to therapy for many reasons. Sometimes anxiety, sadness, or emotional exhaustion has begun to interfere with daily life. Other times, something keeps repeating: the same conflict across different relationships, the same difficulties after every transition, or the same sense of distance from the people they love. Whether the distress feels new or has been present for years, therapy can help you understand what is happening, why it may be happening, and what can begin to change.
For the past 15 years, I have worked with adults, teens, and couples to understand what is beneath their struggles and create meaningful, lasting change. I approach this work with warmth, curiosity, and compassion, creating a relationship where clients can feel supported enough to explore experiences, emotions, and parts of themselves that may be difficult to understand or express.
I began my career in Mexico City and later continued my training in Barcelona, London, and California. Living and working across different countries, languages, and cultures has deeply influenced the way I understand people. It has taught me to look beyond symptoms and consider the relationships, experiences, culture, and context that have shaped each person.
That perspective remains at the center of my work: a person’s symptoms often make much more sense once you understand the person behind them.
Understanding patterns. Creating change.
My approach is grounded in psychodynamic therapy, attachment theory, and mentalization. Together, we pay attention not only to what you are experiencing, but also to the patterns underneath it: how you relate to others, what happens when you feel hurt or overwhelmed, what you expect from relationships, and the ways earlier experiences may still influence your life today.
I am not a passive therapist. I listen carefully, but I also ask questions, share what I notice, and help you look at patterns that can be difficult to see from the inside. At times, that means making connections between past and present. At others, it means paying close attention to what is happening in your life, or even between us in the room, right now.
Understanding is an important part of therapy, but insight alone does not always create change. Depending on what you need, I may integrate approaches supported by research, including:
- EMDR: to process trauma and distressing experiences
- DBT: to strengthen emotion regulation and respond more effectively during difficult moments
- CBT: to identify and shift patterns of thinking and behavior that may be getting in your way
- EFT: to understand and repair patterns of connection between partners
The goal is not to fit you into a particular model. It is to understand you well enough to determine what will actually be useful. Ultimately, I want therapy to help you understand yourself more deeply, relate to yourself and others differently, and make changes that continue long after our work together ends.
Credentials
- Ph.D. in Psychology, Universitat Ramon Llull, Barcelona, Spain
- M.A. in Psychodynamic Psychotherapy, SPM, an institute affiliated with the International Psychoanalytical Association (IPA)
- EMDR-trained therapist, member of the EMDR International Association (EMDRIA)
My professional background also includes psychological assessment, published research, international presentations, and teaching psychology at the university and graduate levels.
I provide therapy in English and Spanish.
Many people come to therapy feeling stuck, despite their best efforts to move forward. My approach goes beyond symptom relief.
A first conversation
If this sounds like what you have been looking for, I offer a brief consultation call at no cost. We can talk about what is bringing you to therapy and whether I may be the right person to help. Not every therapist is the right fit for every person, and it is worth finding that out before you begin. In person in Los Angeles and Irvine, or online anywhere in California, in English or Spanish.
Book a Free Consultation