About Maria
Maria Celestina 'Joecel' Simkins is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) based in California who focuses on anxiety and related concerns. She helps people who are feeling overwhelmed by stress, low mood, or changes in life. Joecel uses a straightforward, respectful style that centers the person's own strengths.
Joecel listens first and asks clear questions to understand what matters most to each person. She works with clients on everyday problems like low self-esteem, sleep-disrupting worry, body image concerns, and feelings of isolation.
Background and approach
She also supports people coping with trauma, abandonment, immigration-related stress, and relationship communication problems. Her approach is person-centered and strengths-based. That means Joecel helps people notice what already works for them and build on those skills.
Sessions typically focus on practical steps you can try between meetings, and on small changes that add up over time. Joecel has six years of professional experience as an LCSW. She draws on that background to offer clear, calm guidance and to adapt methods to each person's needs.
Sessions are offered in English and are available through video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging. People who want to start can expect a collaborative tone and straightforward goal-setting. Joecel aims to make therapy manageable for busy lives, with options for shorter check-ins or longer conversations depending on what you need.
Therapeutic approaches and online care
Joecel uses evidence-based techniques that focus on practical change and personal strengths. One approach she emphasizes is helping people build coping skills for anxiety and stress through structured practice and simple behavior changes. This often includes identifying unhelpful thinking patterns and testing new ways of responding to worry.She also uses trauma-informed methods to help people process difficult experiences at a pace that feels manageable. That work focuses on stabilizing symptoms first, then developing skills for emotion regulation and safety in daily life.
Choosing the right approach is a collaborative process. Joecel will talk with each person about goals, preferences, and what has or hasn't helped before, then shape the methods together. Clients help set the pace and priorities for therapy so the plan fits their schedule and needs.
Online sessions include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging, which makes scheduling more flexible. Video sessions allow for face-to-face conversation, phone sessions can be easier when bandwidth is limited, and brief chat or messaging is useful for quick check-ins or homework support. These options let people fit therapy into workdays, caregiving schedules, or other busy routines.
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What this therapist works with
Also listed
- Abandonment
- Body image
- Codependency
- Communication problems
- Coping with life changes
- Depression
- Emptiness
- Family problems
- Forgiveness
- Guilt and shame
- Immigration issues
- Isolation / loneliness
- Life purpose
- Multicultural concerns
- Post-traumatic stress
- Self-love
- Sexuality
- Women's issues
- Workplace issues
- Young adult issues
- Experience
- 6 years
- Licensed
- California
- Languages
- English
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