Welcome. I’m Marcia. I am a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist committed to helping individuals and couples discover and implement positive change in their lives. My goal is to foster a safe, confidential and caring space for an authentic conversation of discovery, one in which the preciousness of you and your inner world, body, mind and spirit are the topic of exploration, and based on those conversations, to help you make the kind of changes that allow you to live the life you choose.
Highlights
Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist specializing in Attachment Focused EMDR
Treatment plans customized specifically for you
In-person sessions at my Santa Monica office or via Telehealth
Positive Change
Positive change can be as simple as reframing and reconsidering what we believe to be true about ourselves and our lives. Often, limiting beliefs are the only thing standing in the way of your sense of wellness.
I don’t subscribe to the old deficit/disease model of therapy. Rather, I’m inspired by a more enlivened, present-centered, mindful and positive approach which focuses on clients wellness, strengths, resources and spiritual life. I believe that we all have the resilience and resourcefulness necessary to achieve full, rich lives.
A Course in Miracles might recognize positive change as the process in which an individual moves from a place of fear, to one of love. Sounds simple, but sometimes we need supportive counseling with someone who is solely dedicated to assisting us as we learn to walk the talk and live more fully from a place of love.
I know from my own experience in working with clients and our interactive exchanges, that insight, meaning-making and joy are all possible. Your reaching out is the first step in that healing process.
Methods and Approach
In addition to my training in Attachment Focused EMDR, Spiritual and Depth Psychology, I also utilize Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), resource tapping, EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique), Somatic Experiencing, meditation, mindfulness and breathing techniques which can go beyond traditional talk therapy.
Therapy is a place where we collaborate to find more adaptive strategies in life. It is a safe space in which to challenge outworn behaviors and beliefs, examine cynicism or negative biases, explore unconscious beliefs that stand in the way of our own sense of well being and move more fully toward a greater sense of wellness and authenticity. Sometimes we need supportive counseling with someone who is solely dedicated to assisting us as we learn to walk the talk and live more fully from a place of love.
Background
My years working in film, theater, design and in expressive and healing arts have fostered a strong belief in the power of imagination, play and curiosity to influence and shape our experience as we continue on this path of self-awareness and self-actualization.
My areas of interest include integrative health and fitness, meditation, spirituality, creativity, tennis, film & theatre.
I received my Masters of Arts in Counseling Psychology with an emphasis in depth psychology from Pacifica Graduate Institute in 2011. While still a grad student, I sought out additional training with Laurel Parnell at the Parnell Institute, obtaining certification in Attachment Focused EMDR. I am also affiliated with the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists (CAMFT). I’ve also been influenced by additional training with Peter Levine & Bessel van der Kolk. (Trauma, Memory, and the Restoration of One’s Self at the Esalen Institute The Body Keeps the Score: Mind, Brain, and Body in the Transformation of Trauma).