Meet Marisa

What working with me looks like..

At the heart of my work is relationship—ours, yours with yourself, and the ones you hold with others.

I believe that meaningful change happens in connection, and I show up to each session as a real, engaged human who is deeply invested in your growth. Clients often experience me as warm, attuned, and genuinely in their corner. I don’t take a neutral, distant stance—instead, I actively root for you and work to understand you in a way that feels accurate and meaningful. My role is to tune into who you are and what you need, helping you grow in ways that feel aligned, sustainable, and true to you.

I specialize in working with high-performing individuals and couples in demanding environments—including military leaders, physicians, and dual-career couples—who are ready to move beyond “performance mode” and into deeper emotional connection, authenticity, and the experience of feeling fully known. Many of my clients are used to functioning at a high level in their professional lives, but feel disconnected from themselves, their needs and/or their relationships. I especially love working with leaders at the top of their fields.

There is often a unique kind of pressure—and at times, loneliness—that comes with carrying so much responsibility, and you don’t have to hold all of that on your own. This is a space where you don’t have to carry your role, title, or expectations.

In our work together, we slow things down. We make space for what’s underneath the surface, without judgment, pressure, or overwhelm. You don’t need to have the “right words” or even fully know what you’re feeling yet, that’s something we figure out together.

My approach is grounded in attachment-based and experiential therapy, including Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), an evidence-based model that centers emotional experience and connection as the pathway to healing. This means we focus not just on insight, but on helping you actually feel and experience change in real time.

I genuinely love working with couples. I help partners understand the patterns they get stuck in and begin to rebuild trust, safety, and connection—especially in the aftermath of disconnection, recurring conflict, or attachment injuries. Rather than focusing on who’s right or wrong, we slow things down and get underneath those moments to understand what each of you is really feeling and needing. From there, we create new ways of reaching for each other, moments where each partner can feel seen, understood, and emotionally met in a deeper way.

I bring over a decade of experience sitting with people in some of their most vulnerable, painful, and courageous moments. My background includes working for the Department of Defense with active duty military members and their partners, and healthcare professionals. These individuals often carry immense responsibility while navigating complex emotional landscapes.

Therapy with me is collaborative, direct, and deeply human. You don’t have to perform here.