Hello

My Story

My name is Marcella Santamaria and I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. I am the owner and founder of Santamaria Wellness Therapy.  I am a wife and mother of two children and a local of San Diego, Ca. When I was six years old my father was in the Navy and we relocated from New Jersey to California.  Additionally, my mother was nurse and was instrumental in raising five children and assisting them to grow and thrive.  I grew up in beautiful San Diego, Ca where I cherished my time with friends and family and played a variety of sports including community/club soccer and volleyball. These were cornerstones to my personal development. High school, was where I realized I had a deep appreciation and passion for the complexity of relationships, analyzing them and providing support to others.  From this place, I set off to obtain a undergraduate degree in psychology from UCLA and eventually a Master's Degree in Clinical Social Work from San Diego State University. From here, I gained valuable experiences increasing my clinical expertise from working in spaces such as high schools, community/non-profit mental health clinics as well as working in hospice care. I found a passion for working one-on-one with clients in outpatient settings where I could completely devote my time, awareness and attention to their upmost concerns. While gaining my clinical expertise, I found a love working with couples in particular. I believe this to be true, because when it comes down it, relationships and our need for intimate connection are what really binds us all together. This is what ties all humanity together no matter ethnicity, religion, culture, sexual orientation, age, gender or abilities.  Lastly, I uphold all social work core values with include service, social justice, dignity and worth of all people, integrity and professional competence.