Meet Marissa
Who Am I?
I’m a licensed marriage and family therapist in California who specializes in working with adults navigating trauma, anxiety, substance use, and complex relational patterns. My approach is trauma-informed, evidence-based, and deeply relational, with a focus on healing at the root rather than managing symptoms. My work is grounded in both advanced clinical training and lived experience, creating a space that is thoughtful, human, and oriented toward lasting change.
Background & Training
I hold a Master’s degree in Counseling Psychology with an emphasis in Marriage and Family Therapy from California Lutheran University. With over a decade of clinical experience, my background includes extensive work in substance use treatment, advanced training in EMDR and attachment-focused EMDR for trauma and complex relational wounds, and training in Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), the gold-standard treatment for OCD and anxiety disorders. I also served as the Clinical Director of a Partial Hospitalization and Intensive Outpatient Program (PHP/IOP), where I led trauma-informed systems of care and supported both clients and developing clinicians.
Theoretical Orientation
My work is grounded in a psychodynamic and attachment-based framework, informed by family systems theory and an understanding of how early relational experiences shape the nervous system. I integrate evidence-based trauma treatments, including EMDR, to support deep, root-level healing, and Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) to effectively treat anxiety and OCD. This integrative approach allows therapy to address both insight and action—helping patterns shift not only in understanding, but in lived experience.
Outside the Therapy Room
I believe therapy is most effective when the relationship feels grounded, authentic, and human—not distant or one-sided. Outside of my role as a therapist, I’m a mother, partner, friend, and animal lover who finds balance in time outdoors with my family, live music, and moments of spontaneous adventure. I also remain actively engaged in my own personal growth, committed to practicing the same reflection, accountability, and resilience I encourage in my clients. This lived commitment to growth and meaning informs how I show up in the therapy room—with presence, humility, and genuine respect for the complexity of being human.
