Meet Marissa
(she, her, hers)
With her compassion, patience, and open-mindedness, Marissa cultivates a safe, supportive atmosphere where her clients can discover their authentic selves. She strives to hold a non-judgmental space for her clients, validating their presence in therapy and honoring the courage it takes to seek mental health support. Through open and honest dialogue and use of eclectic therapies, Marissa takes an integrative approach that allows her to reach her clients wherever they may happen to struggle.
Marissa understands that the therapy relationship is a necessarily collaborative one that requires sensitivity and an appreciation for the unique strengths and vulnerabilities that each client brings. She leads with empathy and understanding, tailoring her approach to the needs of each client so that they are emboldened to take that next step in addressing what is most pressing in their lives. Through the provision of resourcefulness and flexibility, Marissa will shape the therapy space to best fit her client’s needs, better enabling them to explore what no longer serves them well, set goals, and facilitate hope by making changes that fit adaptively and realistically with the client’s cultural location(s). By utilizing a culturally-informed approach, Marissa is effortful in meeting her clients where they’re at.
Marissa incorporates an intimate knowledge of the mind-body connection into her approach, utilizing the biopsychosocial model as a key foundation when addressing her clients’ mental health and wellness. In doing so, she expands her clients’ awareness of the dynamic interplay between one’s thoughts, feelings, sensations, and sociocultural context, as this influences the conscious and unconscious ways that one thinks about and experiences their mental health. In order to pay due acknowledgment to her clients’ intersectional identities, Marissa offers support from a multicultural lens, empowering her clients to make choices that are realistic to their identity-based experiences and supportive on their journey to wellness.
Marissa aspires to provide each of her clients with the necessary therapeutic tools, giving them a greater sense of agency over their own well-being as they exist in their everyday lives. Her goal is to ensure that the therapeutic relationship provides the safe and supportive groundwork for her clients to explore and prioritize their needs and interests. Marissa aims to foster a therapeutic experience that is healing of the mind and body.
Marissa loves being active and going on walks, taking cycling classes, and spending time with loved ones.
Marissa is a Deaf therapist fluent in American Sign Language (ASL). Her pronouns are she/her/hers.
EXPERIENCE
Marissa's career started as an intern at the Alabama State Department of Mental Health providing individual and group therapy to deaf and hard of hearing teenagers, adults, and seniors. She has experience working in various settings: schools, clinics, in-patient programs and residential programs. Marissa worked as a residential child care worker at The Learning Center for the Deaf: Walden School. In this role, she worked as an In-Home Therapist Clinician and Intensive Care Coordinator. There, Marissa utilized a family-centered therapy approach in support of child behavioral health needs. Marissa currently works as a Mental Health Counselor within Gallaudet University’s Counseling and Psychological Services providing therapy to college students.
SPECIALTIES
Marissa's approach to therapy is person-centered with a strong emphasis on the incorporation of CBT (cognitive behavior therapy). Overall, she takes an eclectic stance to the treatment process, readily incorporating various treatment methods based on the specific needs and goals of her clients. In her trauma-focused work, she values mindfulness and implements grounding techniques.
EDUCATION
- Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, Gallaudet University, Washington, D.C.
- Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, Washington, D.C.
- National Certified Counselor
