We’re a good fit if... you've ever caught yourself thinking, "I know why I do this…so why do I keep doing it?" You may already have insight. You may even understand where your patterns come from. And yet…you still find yourself overextended, overthinking, people-pleasing, shutting down, staying small, or carrying more than feels like yours. Sometimes it’s a feeling. Sometimes it’s tension, fatigue, or pain that doesn't quite have an explanation. 

I don't see any of that as evidence something's wrong with you. I see it as parts of you doing their best to protect you, in ways that made sense once and might not anymore. We won't be here to fix those parts, bury them, or destroy them. We'll get curious about what they're protecting, and what they no longer need to hold so tightly. That’s where the honesty, humor, grief, and the ‘ohhh, I actually have a choice here’ moments tend to live.

I bring my clinical training and a steady presence. You bring your lived experience. Neither of us has to pretend to have it all figured out. If you're ready to loosen what's kept you stuck and start showing up in your life with more intention, agency, and trust in yourself…we'll probably work well together.

My ideal client is... someone who knows something isn’t quite working…even if you can’t fully name it yet. Maybe you have a ton of self-awareness. Maybe you don’t. But there's often a gap between what you logically know and what you can actually access in the moment, and that gap is exactly where we work. 

You don't need to arrive with insight or a clear sense of the path ahead. Honestly, that's kind of the point…that’s what we’re here to explore together. If any of this sounds like you, you're welcome here.

I create safety and build rapport by... being real, present, steady, and attentive…not just to what you’re saying, but to what’s happening between us. I don’t rush the process or push past what feels like too much. We move at your pace, not the pace of urgency or fixing.

I believe healing happens in relationship, and honestly, I think most growth does. How we learn to connect, rupture, and repair with others often mirrors how we relate to ourselves. And when I get it wrong <because, rest assured, I will!> I won’t gloss over it. I’ll come back to it, own it, and stay in it with you. Repair isn’t a disruption or something I avoid – it’s part of the work and one of the ways trust actually gets built.

Three things I love: My people…my husband, my kids, my parents, and the chosen family I get to share life with. They keep me humble and growing, in the best way. Being outside, in almost any form… solo neighborhood strolls, forested hikes with my family and pup, long greenway walks w/ friends where conversation and silence trade places naturally. I love when something totally ordinary suddenly feels a little spectacular. Creating things…recipes, playlists, gatherings, elaborate plans I may or may not follow through on. I'm drawn to the process more than the product, and to the practice of staying playful and imperfect along the way.

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Marisa is licensed in NC and sees clients both in-person and virtually. She is currently in the credentialing process to be in-network with BCBS and Aetna.

Certifications: EMDR therapy trained

Education: BA in Sociology from Emory University; and Masters in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Wake Forest University