Desiree Maldonado-Peluffo, LICSW - Therapist in Massachusetts

About Desiree

Desiree Maldonado-Peluffo is a licensed clinical social worker who focuses on helping people manage stress, anxiety, relationship strain, and family challenges. She speaks English and Spanish and brings a calm, practical attitude to sessions. Her work aims to ease depression symptoms and support people coping with life changes so they can feel steadier day to day.

She has about 10 years of experience as a licensed professional in Massachusetts and uses tools that people can apply between sessions.

Background and approach

She draws from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, which emphasizes values and committed action, and from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, which looks at how thoughts affect feelings and behavior. Mindfulness practices are included to help ground people in the present. In therapy she offers straightforward strategies to reduce the influence of negative emotions and unhelpful thinking patterns.

She also addresses attachment concerns, codependency, communication and control issues, and family problems. Practical coping skills and clearer communication are common focuses. Desiree pays attention to how trauma can affect mood and relationships, including post-traumatic stress and dissociation.

She also addresses life direction questions such as life purpose and challenges faced by young adults. Seasonal mood shifts and social anxiety are part of her scope as well. The goal she describes is to help people build tools for greater hope and better connections with themselves and others.

Therapy is presented as a non-judgmental space where clients and the therapist collaborate on realistic steps forward.

Approaches and online care for everyday family challenges

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps people clarify what matters most to them and take small steps toward those values despite painful thoughts or feelings. It is useful for people stuck on worry, low mood, or life transitions. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) focuses on identifying unhelpful thinking patterns and testing them with real-world tasks, which can reduce anxiety and improve mood. Mindfulness Therapy teaches simple attention practices to notice the present moment and ease reactivity to stress.

Finding the right mix of approaches is part of the process. The therapist works collaboratively to match methods to a person’s goals, preferences, and daily life. Sessions often begin with practical goals and then adjust techniques based on what helps most in real time.

Online sessions use video calls, phone, live chat, or text-based messaging to make care more flexible. These options let people fit therapy into busy family schedules, keep continuity during life changes, and use short coaching-style messages between longer sessions. The variety of formats supports different needs, whether someone prefers face-to-face conversation on video or brief check-ins by message.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)

Less about arguing with difficult thoughts, more about loosening their grip and acting on what matters to you anyway. Values and committed action carry the work, which suits conversation at a distance.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

CBT looks at the link between what you think, how you feel, and what you do. You work on noticing unhelpful patterns and practising steadier responses. It suits online sessions well, because much of the work happens between appointments and can be talked through from anywhere.

Mindfulness Therapy

Attention training: noticing thoughts and physical feelings as they arrive without being carried off by them. Much of it is practice you do yourself, so guidance over video or audio works much as it would in person.

Frequently asked questions

What kinds of problems does she address?

She works with stress, anxiety, relationship strain, family conflicts, depression, and coping with life changes. Additional topics include attachment, codependency, communication and control issues, and mood disorders.

What is her therapeutic style like?

She uses a blend of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and mindfulness. Sessions emphasize practical skills, present-moment awareness, and values-based actions.

How much experience does she have?

She has about 10 years of professional experience working as a licensed clinical social worker in Massachusetts.

What are her credentials and where is she licensed?

She holds an MA and is a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker with licence number LICSW121390 in Massachusetts.

Which languages are supported for sessions?

Sessions are offered in English and Spanish.

Can people outside the United States work with her?

She does not accept international clients at this time.

What session formats are available?

She meets by video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging to accommodate different needs and schedules.

How does payment work and how do I begin?

Cost varies with location and therapist availability and sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time. To start, select the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule according to therapist availability.

Specialties and expertise

Top specialties

Stress, Anxiety
Relationship issues
Family conflicts

Also works with

Therapeutic approaches

Experience: 10 years
Licensed: Massachusetts
Languages: English, Spanish

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