Marisa is a Counsellor, Rehabilitation Counsellor and Psychotherapist specialising in trauma-informed somatic approaches, who has many years of experience with diverse clients.

As a Rehabilitation Counsellor, Marisa works with adults who may have conditions affecting their functioning in some way. Through a supportive, explorative process, Marisa helps clients address emotional, vocational, and social needs. Marisa provides career counselling with a trauma focused and rehabilitation lens that helps clients explore interests, strengths, values, and goals to make choices that align with their aspirations, that are also practical and achievable.

As a trauma-informed psychotherapist and counsellor with a focus on somatic processes, trauma’s impact on current experience is never far from mind. Marisa works to hold a safe space for clients who want to explore and get to understand the impact of trauma on their current state of being. Marisa is informed by range of approaches: person centred counselling, attachment based, psychodynamic and somatic psychotherapies, and is also trained in Motivational Interviewing, Solution Focused Therapy, and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT).

Marisa is caring, compassionate, knowledgeable, and draws on lived experiences she has with injury and illness, to help others. In her practice she is nonjudgmental, curious and inclusive. Marisa tunes in to clients to understand their needs, working sensitively to help clients work towards their goals.

Qualifications and accreditations:

Master of Health Science (Rehabilitation Counselling)

Grad Cert Arts (Applied Linguistics and Counselling)

Dip. of Body-Oriented Psychotherapy

Full member, ASORC (Australian Society of Rehabilitation Counsellors)

PACFA Reg. Clinical 23155 (Psychotherapy and Counselling Federation of Australia)

Certified Wellness Coach with Wellness Coaching Australia.

Registered with WorkSafe Victoria as a Counsellor

NMAS Nationally Accredited Mediator

Somatic Experiencing Practitioner – in progress – due for completion 2024.