Jacqueline Bonelli Smith, MFT

Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist

My Experience

I draw on my education, training, and life experience to assist my clients with their challenges. I am a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. Most of my work in private practice is with individual adults and couples (married or not.) Presently I am also a child trauma counselor at Rady’s Children’s Hospital in San Diego. To stay in touch with the community I write a monthly column for a local Brazilian newspaper.

I have been working in the mental health field for 11 years, and as a psychotherapist for 7. I have worked with college students, children of various ages, adults and seniors in a number of settings, including psychiatric hospitals, community agencies, schools, domestic violence shelters and group practice. I speak Portuguese and Spanish.

As a psychotherapist I have helped clients with a variety of concerns. I have had particular interest and experience in the following areas:

Anxiety
Depression
Healing from traumatic experiences, including abuse or neglect, victims of crime (both adults and children)
Self esteem and body image issues
Patterns of unstable relationships (frequently being left by partners; having difficulty committing to a relationship; often feeling misunderstood; fear of abandonment)
Challenges specific to post-bariatric patients
Acculturation issues (adjustment to life in another culture; ambivalence about settling down; challenges specific to bi-cultural couples; lack of support; prejudice)
Grief and loss (as it relates to issues such as death, separation, divorce, care giving, immigration, grief for not having had a healthy childhood)
Parenting difficulties (especially as it relates to younger children)
Difficulty asserting oneself and setting limits
Life transitions (retirement, new relationship, birth of baby, menopause, change of career or relocation, recovering from illness)
Stress specific to balancing work and family life
Stress and anger management
Portuguese or Spanish-speaking clients