About Marissa
Marissa Dean is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) who helps people manage stress, anxiety, addictions, relationship struggles, grief, and mood concerns like depression and bipolar. She also supports those dealing with sleep problems, parenting strain, self-esteem, and LGBT-related issues.
Marissa names somatic work as part of her approach and blends body-focused techniques with talk therapy to help people feel steadier in day-to-day life. Her style is warm and client-centered.
Background and approach
Sessions aim to be collaborative and practical. Marissa uses tools from cognitive behavioral therapy and dialectical behavior therapy alongside somatic and mindfulness work to teach coping skills and build emotional regulation. In therapy she pays attention to how the body remembers stress and trauma and uses that information to guide gentle, paced work.
She also draws on psychodynamic ideas to look at patterns that repeat over time, including family of origin concerns and attachment issues. This combination is meant to help people understand why old patterns persist and to create new ways of responding.
Clients who want to include faith in sessions can ask for Christian-based counseling elements such as prayer or scripture when it fits their goals. Marissa adapts the level of spiritual integration to each person's preference and comfort. She brings five years of clinical experience as an LMFT practicing in California.
Marissa aims to help people reconnect with themselves, process significant life events, and develop tools for more stable daily functioning.
How somatic and skills-based approaches translate online
Marissa draws on somatic therapy to notice how the body holds tension and stress, then uses gentle movement, breath awareness, and tracking of sensations to help people shift physical patterns linked to emotional pain. Client-centered therapy means sessions focus on the person in front of her, using listening and reflection to set goals and move at a comfortable pace. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) adds practical tools - like identifying unhelpful thoughts and trying small behavioral experiments - to change how problems play out in daily life.Finding the right blend of approaches is part of the work. Marissa collaborates with each person to choose which methods fit their goals, needs, and comfort level. She checks in regularly and adjusts techniques so sessions feel useful and manageable.
The practical benefits of online therapy include easier scheduling and fitting sessions into a busy week, shorter check-ins when needed, and options that can reduce travel time. The biography does not list specific session formats, so confirm available formats before booking. Many people find online sessions helpful for maintaining continuity of care and practicing skills in the settings where they live and work.
Frequently asked questions
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Specialties and expertise
Top specialties
- Stress, Anxiety
- Addictions
- Relationship issues
Also works with
- Attachment issues
- Bipolar disorder
- Body image
- Communication problems
- Control issues
- Coping with life changes
- Depression
- Dissociation
- Family conflicts
- Family of origin issues
- Forgiveness
- Grief
- Guilt and shame
- LGBT
- Life purpose
- Parenting issues
- Self esteem
- Self-love
- Sleeping disorders
- Smoking / vaping cessation
- Trauma and abuse
Therapeutic approaches
- Experience
- 5 years
- Licensed
- California
- Languages
- English