Delfina N. Alcantar, AMFT
Registered Associate Marriage & Family Therapist #153718
Supervised by Monica M. Huston, LMFT 118825
You Don’t Have to Have Everything Figured Out
Maybe you are doing everything you are supposed to do but still feel anxious, overwhelmed, unsure of yourself, or exhausted from trying to keep it all together. For teens and young adults especially, school, career decisions, relationships, family expectations, perfectionism, and the pressure to succeed can make it difficult to separate who you are from what you accomplish. My goal is to create a supportive space where you can slow down, better understand what you are feeling, and begin making sense of the pressures, patterns, and expectations affecting your life.
Young Adults
Adults
Telehealth in CA
Attachment-Based
Perfectionism
Emotional Overwhelm
Spanish
What I Help With
Anxiety & Emotional Overwhelm
Anxiety does not always look like panic. It can feel like constantly overthinking, putting pressure on yourself, worrying about what comes next, or trying to hold everything together while feeling overwhelmed inside. Therapy can provide space to slow things down, understand what is driving those feelings, and develop healthier ways of responding to stress and emotional pressure.
Perfectionism, Performance & Self-Worth
When achievement becomes closely connected to your sense of worth, even success can feel exhausting. Athletes, students, high achievers, and young adults may feel enormous pressure to perform, avoid mistakes, or meet expectations from themselves and others. Together, we can explore where that pressure comes from and help separate your value as a person from what you accomplish.
Life Transitions, Identity & Relationships
Periods of change can make you question who you are, where you belong, or what you want next. Relationships, family expectations, school, work, and major life transitions can all bring uncertainty and self-doubt. Therapy can help you better understand the patterns affecting your relationships and choices while developing greater confidence in your own identity and direction.
Real conversations.
Deeper change.
My work is primarily psychodynamic, which means I'm interested not only in what's happening right now, but also in the deeper patterns, relationships, and experiences that may be shaping it.
I begin with the therapeutic relationship itself. Feeling genuinely cared for, understood, and safe enough to be vulnerable matters to me, because meaningful therapy requires more than simply exchanging advice.
Depending on what you need, I may also draw from CBT, DBT, and emotionally focused approaches. My style is warm, curious, relational, and sometimes humorous. Life can be heavy. We can take what you're experiencing seriously without pretending every minute of therapy has to feel painfully serious.
"You don't have to figure this out alone."
A space to be real, explore, and grow.
At our first meeting, I'll introduce myself, review informed consent, and take time to understand what brought you in, what feels difficult right now, and what you hope might feel different.
Some people arrive with a lot to say. Others aren't sure where to begin. Both are okay.
During the first few sessions, I focus on getting to know the person behind the problem, building trust, understanding your history and patterns, and developing treatment recommendations together.
Education & Training
Loyola Marymount University
MA in Counseling, Clinical Mental Health Counseling (2023)
BS in Chemistry - 2016
Newport Psychoanalytic Institute
Infants, Children, Adolescents Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy Certificate — 2026
Additional Training
- Emotionally Focused Individual Therapy (EFIT) – Level I & II
- Emotionally Focused Family Therapy (EFFT) – Level I
- Training through the International Centre for Excellence in Emotionally Focused Therapy.
Common Questions
There is no set timeline because each person and their goals are different. Some people benefit from shorter-term work around a specific concern, while others want more time to explore deeper patterns and relationships. We’ll discuss your goals and the direction of therapy together.
We’ll talk about what brings you to therapy and whether my experience and approach fit your needs. I believe in being honest about the limits of my experience. If another provider or level of care would be more appropriate, I’ll discuss that with you and help identify a more suitable resource.
It depends on what brings you to therapy and what each person needs. Individual therapy can offer space to understand your own emotions, needs and relationship patterns. For others, starting together in couples therapy makes sense. We can discuss which starting point may fit your situation.
Faith Can Be Part of Therapy
I offer optional Catholic and Christian faith integration when requested by the client. Faith, spirituality and religious experiences can be explored when they are meaningful to you and relevant to your goals. They do not have to be part of therapy.
A Little More About Me
I’m a therapist, published author, and someone deeply interested in faith, psychology and psychoanalytic thinking. I love comedy shows and the symphony, and I’m equally happy exploring life’s deeper questions or laughing at something completely ridiculous. Compassion and humor both have a place in how I connect with people.
Understanding what’s happening beneath the pressure.
Therapy with me is a space where you do not have to perform, pretend you are doing better than you really are, or arrive with everything figured out. I work collaboratively to help you slow down, better understand your emotions, and notice the patterns and expectations influencing how you respond to challenges. My training includes Brainspotting, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, attachment-based therapy, and trauma-informed care, allowing us to approach the work in ways that reflect what you are experiencing and what feels most useful to you.
You don’t need to know exactly what’s wrong.
You may come to therapy knowing exactly what you want help with, or simply knowing that something does not feel right. Both are okay. We can begin with what is happening in your life now and become curious about the anxiety, self-doubt, pressure, relationships, or emotions underneath it. You do not need to arrive with a perfect explanation or a plan for what needs to change. We can figure that out together.
A safe place to be real, explore, and grow.
You Don’t Have to Perform Here
Therapy can be one place where you do not have to prove yourself, get everything right, or keep pretending you are okay. Whether the pressure comes from school, sports, work, relationships, family expectations, or your own standards, we can slow things down and make space to understand what you are actually feeling. My goal is to help you feel more grounded in who you are, not just in what you accomplish.They do not have to be central to the work.
A Little More About Me
Outside of therapy, I enjoy spending time with family and friends, staying active, and continuing to learn and grow both personally and professionally. I believe growth is an ongoing process, and I bring that same curiosity and respect for development into the work I do with clients.
Education & Training
California Baptist University
- Master of Science in Counseling Psychology
California Polytechnic University, Humboldt
- Bachelor’s Degree in Kinesiology
Advanced Clinical Training
- Brainspotting
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
- Attachment-Based Therapy
- Trauma-Informed Care
Common Questions
No. You may know exactly what is bothering you, or you may simply feel anxious, overwhelmed, stuck, or unsure of yourself. We can start with what is happening right now and work together to better understand what may be underneath it.
Yes. My own background includes competitive gymnastics and cheerleading, and I have a particular understanding of how achievement, expectations, and performance can become connected to self-worth.
My training includes Brainspotting, CBT, DBT, attachment-based therapy, and trauma-informed care. The work is collaborative and can draw from these approaches depending on what you are experiencing and what feels most helpful.
You Are More Than What You Achieve.
You do not have to keep pushing through anxiety, pressure, or self-doubt by yourself. Tell us a little about what has been happening and what you would like to feel different. IFC can help determine whether Delfina’s experience and approach may be a good fit for you.
