Carmely Estrella

Carmely Estrella has dedicated her career to improving the lives of her patients, clients, and professional charges. When Dr. Estrella began her study of Social Work in the 1970s, she interned first as a Special Assistant at the Asian American Mental Health Research Center and later as a Senior Clinical Social Worker at Daniel Freeman Hospitals, Inc. She served in various capacities with the latter until the early 2000s; in that time, Carmely Estrella's role developed into one of comprehensive support for 3,000+ hospital employees. In addition to providing counseling services and interventions as needed, Dr. Estrella hosted regular lunchtime seminars to educate hospital workers about topics relevant to their lives and work.

Her time at Daniel Freeman also included service to people struggling through cancer diagnoses. In addition to leading support sessions for patients diagnosed with cancer, Carmely Estrella offered support and bereavement groups to the families and friends of patients and helped professional caregivers cope with the strains of working in Oncology. Throughout her tenure at Daniel Freeman, Dr. Estrella also maintained her private psychotherapy practice, which remains open today.

In her private practice as a Clinical Social Worker and Psychotherapist, Carmely Estrella serves adults, adolescents, and children. To help her patients improve the relationships with their friends and families, Dr. Estrella employs in-depth explorations of early childhood/family dynamics, discussion and practice of behavior shifts, and concrete relationship-building techniques.

A Board-Certified Diplomate in Clinical Social Work, Carmely Estrella holds licensure from the California Board of Behavioral Sciences, the Academy of Certified Social Workers and as a Certified Employee Assistance Professional. She earned a Ph.D. in Clinical Social Work from the California Institute for Clinical Social Work and maintains Lifetime Credentials to work as a Counselor and Instructor for the California Community Colleges. Dr. Estrella practices in Marina Del Rey, California.