About SMJ Wellness

Founded by Licensed Clinical Social Worker Steph Machado-Jenkins, SMJ Wellness reflects a lifelong commitment to helping people create meaningful change in their lives, relationships, and communities.

The practice brings together Steph’s clinical expertise, organizational experience, and passion for human connection through individual and couples therapy, workplace wellness, and leadership development. Across every service, her approach is rooted in the belief that lasting change begins with honest conversations, strong relationships, and environments where people feel empowered to grow.

Meet Steph Machado-Jenkins

For nearly three decades, Steph Machado-Jenkins has been guided by the belief that meaningful change begins with understanding people within the context of their relationships, communities, and environments.

A first-generation Mexican American raised in California’s San Gabriel Valley, Steph’s passion for helping others emerged at a young age. She earned bachelor's degrees in Social Psychology and Chicana/o Studies from UCLA before completing her Master of Social Work in 1998. Throughout her career, she has focused on addressing behavioral health needs across Los Angeles County, particularly among communities facing barriers to care and support. Her clinical experience includes extensive work with complex trauma and the ways trauma can shape relationships, identity, and emotional well-being.

Her work across public and private sector settings provided a firsthand understanding of the challenges facing both individuals and the systems designed to support them. She witnessed the impact of workforce burnout, high turnover, communication challenges, and gaps in leadership support. Through these experiences, she recognized that supporting individuals also required attention to the environments, organizations, and communities around them.

In 2014, Steph expanded her work to partner directly with organizational leaders, developing programs and facilitating trainings focused on communication, workforce sustainability, leadership support, and organizational wellness. Her approach centers on creating space for honest dialogue while providing practical tools that help people and teams navigate change. Steph’s practice is grounded in an identity-affirming, culturally responsive approach that honors each person’s lived experiences, values, and cultural background.

Today, Steph brings together her clinical background, organizational expertise, and passion for creativity to support individuals, couples, and organizations. She provides therapy in both English and Spanish, creating space for clients to engage in the language and cultural context that feels most authentic to them. Whether helping someone navigate a personal transition or guiding a team through organizational change, she approaches each relationship with curiosity, compassion, and a commitment to meaningful progress.

Work with Steph
Work with Steph

An Integrated Approach

Steph integrates her love of art and culture into her work, using creative experiences to support reflection, connection, and new perspectives. She believes growth does not always happen through conversation alone; sometimes it emerges through creativity, curiosity, and the opportunity to experience something in a different way.

At the heart of Steph’s work is a simple philosophy: when people feel seen, supported, and equipped with the right tools, meaningful change becomes possible.

Practical Questions

  • To get started, you can contact Steph by phone or email to schedule a brief consultation. This initial conversation helps ensure a good fit and allows space to discuss your needs and goals.

  • A minimum of 24 hours’ notice is requested for cancellations or rescheduling. That said, life happens — flexibility and reasonableness are part of Steph’s approach to care.

  • Steph is not paneled with traditional insurance companies. She does accept two Employee Assistance Program (EAP) plans: Lyra Health and ComPsych.


    EAP benefits are short-term behavioral health supports offered through some employers.

  • Yes. Steph accepts private-pay clients. Her rates are intentionally kept accessible, with a commitment to inclusivity and ensuring that quality behavioral health care is not out of reach.

  • Yes. Steph maintains an office in the heart of Whittier, California and offers in-person sessions, as well as virtual therapy for clients located anywhere in the state of California.

  • Absolutely. Steph is a champion of diversity and practices active allyship. She is committed to creating spaces where everyone feels safe, respected, and seen, and she stands in solidarity with LGBTQ+ communities.