Lisa Macias
Clinical Director
Supervisor
Licensed Psychologist
Ph. D. PSY #32178
lisa@mcaft.com
650-297-3400 x9
Location: Los Altos & San Jose
Fee: $280
Specialties:
Languages: English, Spanish
Adults and Couples:
Anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, trauma, substance use, parenting, life transitions, aging, and relational work for couples
Adolescents and Emerging Adults:
Anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, trauma, substance use, transition to college, health behaviors, and school/peer adjustment
Modalities:
Certified Emotionally Focused Couples Therapist
Internal Family Systems - Level 2 Trained
Trauma Informed
Relational
Strengths Based
Culturally Sensitive
Experience:
I bring over two decades of experience in education and mental health, working with adolescents, adults, couples, and families. My career began in education, where I served as a teacher and program administrator, and later shifted toward clinical work across diverse settings, including community organizations, hospitals, and doctoral training programs. Throughout, my focus has remained consistent: supporting people facing the challenges of anxiety, depression, trauma, substance use, relational difficulties, life transitions, and questions of meaning and purpose. The foundation of my work is collaborative, grounded, and shaped by years of working alongside individuals, couples, and families as they navigate meaningful change.
Treatment Approach:
I’m deeply moved by the courage it takes to begin therapy and believe that the collaborative process of therapy can be a way to create a bridge from feelings of isolation and distress to a more complete understanding of personal values and sense of self. I see therapy as a collaborative process – one that helps you make sense of what’s happening both internally and in your relationships, especially during times of transition, uncertainty, or emotional pain. My work is grounded in psychodynamic and attachment-based frameworks, and I often integrate Internal Family Systems (IFS) and Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) to meet the specific needs of each person.
A core part of my work involves helping people explore different “parts” of themselves – something IFS speaks to with clarity and compassion. These internal dynamics often reflect past experiences, and therapy offers space to get to know them in a present way that fosters self-awareness and healing, rather than self-judgment.
Alongside this, I also work with deeper questions many of us face throughout our lives. Who am I now? What really matters to me? How do I live with uncertainty or loss? These existential questions can arrive quietly or in times of major transition, and I view them as important parts of our conversation.
While the work is often emotionally layered, I also value lightness, perspective, and humor. Sometimes laughter and insight arrive together, and both can make space for meaningful change.
Credentials:
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Clinical Psychology, Palo Alto University, Pacific Graduate School of Psychology
M.A. in Education, Stanford University
B.A. in History, Stanford University
CA Licensed Psychologist (Psy #32178), California Board of Psychology
Trainings:
Emotionally Focused Therapy for Couples (EFT-C)
Certified EFT-C Therapist
Beyond Core Skills Stages 1 and 2
EFT - Working With Anger, Trauma and Violence in Relationships
EFT Core Skills and Externship
Internal Family Systems (IFS)
IFS Level 2 Trained
Level 2 Intensive: A Compassionate Approach to Addictive Processes- IFS Addictions and Eating Disorders (11/25)
Level 2 Intensive: Multi-Topic: Advanced Review, Trauma, Couples, Families, and Spirituality