Title: Clinical Program Director

Credential: Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT)

Location(s): San Jose Outpatient

Years With Evolve: 1

Desiree Botelho is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) and the Clinical Program Director for Evolve San Jose Outpatient. Known for her warm, compassionate, and patient clinical style, Desiree deeply enjoys the transparency and dynamic energy that adolescents bring to the therapeutic space. She is passionate about partnering with teens as they look inward, explore their identities, and take meaningful strides toward independence. Recognizing that healing extends beyond the individual, Desiree views parents as vital members of the treatment team from day one. She leads with kindness while gently supporting families to lean into the discomfort necessary for profound, lasting growth.

She earned her master’s degree in Counseling from California State University, East Bay. Over the last seven years, Desiree has built a robust and diverse clinical foundation, providing specialized adolescent care across private practice, wraparound therapeutic programs, and complex healthcare systems. Before joining Evolve, she served as a lead therapist within the school system and honed her expertise in high-acuity care through extensive clinical work in Partial Hospitalization (PHP) and Intensive Outpatient (IOP) settings.

In her role at Evolve San Jose Outpatient, Desiree ensures the delivery of safe, evidence-based, and client-centered care. She takes a highly active, hands-on approach to leadership, facilitating weekly therapy groups, running the IOP Multifamily Group to provide crucial psychoeducation to parents, and managing daily clinical operations. As a supervisor and mentor, Desiree empowers her staff by fostering a healthy balance of professional independence and dedicated clinical support. Her ultimate goal is for every family to feel truly seen and for every teen to graduate from the program feeling confident and equipped for their next chapter.