Leilani Francisco-DeLay, ASW
Registered Associate Social Worker
Registered California Board of Behavioral Sciences Number: ASW 139412
Supervised by Sudheera Ranaweera, LP #350
Child, Family, & Adult Therapist
Top 3 Specialties: ADHD & AuDHD, Autism, Pregnancy & Postpartum
Location: Irvine & Manhattan Beach, CA
Language: English
Fee: $185
Sliding Scale: Available
Insurance: Cigna/Evernorth, Aetna, Optum/United Healthcare, & can provide a superbill for PPO plans
Accepting New Clients: Yes
Populations: Children, Adolescents, Adults, Caregivers, and Families, including neurodivergent individuals
Specialties: ADHD, AuDHD (Autistic ADHD), Autism, Pregnancy & Postpartum, Anxiety, Multiracial Identity, Trauma
Treatment Approaches: Play-Based Therapy, Expressive Arts Therapy, Narrative Therapy, Mindfulness and Somatic Therapy, Neurodiversity-Affirming Therapy, Relational Therapy
Hi, I'm Leilani. Every person carries inherent strengths, creativity, and wisdom, and I would be honored to help you reconnect with yours.
I believe people make the most sense in the context of their own story. My work is grounded in curiosity and compassion, and in the belief that lasting change grows through connection, play, and authentic relationships. My greatest hope is that the children, adults, and families I work with leave therapy feeling more connected to themselves and one another, more confident in their own stories, and empowered to build lives that feel deeply meaningful and truly their own. When one person begins to heal, the ripple effects strengthen everyone around them.
I draw on play-based and expressive arts therapy, narrative therapy, mindfulness and somatic work, relational therapy, and neurodiversity-affirming care. I meet each person where they are, honoring the story they carry while building on the strengths they already possess.
Working With Me
I love working with children, adolescents, and adults, with a particular heart for supporting neurodivergent individuals and caregivers as they step into parenthood. My hope is that you and your family leave therapy with new tools, deeper self-understanding, and real hope for what is possible. I create a space where each person's story is honored and where growth can unfold naturally, through connection, play, and genuine relationship.
Supporting Children and Families
Children do not always have the words for what they feel, but they almost always have a way to show us through play, art, and story. Using play-based and expressive approaches, I offer young clients a warm, imaginative space to explore their experiences and discover new possibilities. I work closely with parents and caregivers too, because a child's wellbeing is woven into the family around them. When a child feels understood and a caregiver feels supported, the whole family grows steadier together. Every family deserves a safe place to grow, connect, and belong.
Neuroaffirming and Strengths-Based Care
I provide neurodiversity-affirming care grounded in the belief that neurodivergence is a natural and valued part of being human, not something that needs to be fixed. I love working with autistic, ADHD, and AuDHD children, adults, and families, helping each person understand themselves, embrace their unique strengths, and build a life that works with their brain rather than against it.
Support Through Pregnancy and Postpartum
Becoming a parent is one of life's most profound shifts, and it can bring unexpected emotions alongside the joy. I offer caregivers a compassionate, nonjudgmental space to process the changes in identity, relationships, and daily life that come with welcoming a child, so they can move into parenthood feeling more grounded, supported, and confident.
Creativity, Play, and Expressive Arts
As a lifelong artist and musician, creativity has always been how I make sense of the world, and I believe we are all inherently creative, whether through art, storytelling, play, relationships, or the ways we solve problems and build our lives. I love weaving imagination and play into therapy to help clients express what is hard to say, explore their experiences, and open up new possibilities.
Education & Training
Leilani earned her Master of Social Work from California State University, Northridge, where she received specialized training in community mental health. During her clinical training, she provided individual, family, and group therapy to children, adolescents, adults, and caregivers navigating trauma, anxiety, depression, grief, attachment challenges, neurodivergence, and foster care involvement. Her background also includes supporting medically complex children and their families through care coordination, and her work is grounded in relational, trauma-informed, neurobiology-informed, and strengths-based care.
Quote
"I believe every person carries inherent strengths, creativity, and wisdom. My greatest hope is that the people I work with leave therapy feeling more connected to themselves, more confident in their own story, and empowered to create a life that feels deeply meaningful and authentically their own."
Fun Facts
Singing, painting, baking, and making things by hand are some of Leilani's favorite ways to recharge. She loves wandering through museums, spending time in nature, and learning something new, especially when it sends her down a wonderfully nerdy research rabbit hole. She is endlessly curious, collects hobbies almost as quickly as ideas, laughs easily, and can usually find wonder in the little things. Time with her husband and daughter is one of her very favorite places to be.