APPROACHES TO THERAPY
Mari’s former Grand Central Office
As a therapist, I embrace the following philosophies:
I believe that you are not your illness.
I believe that hope is a transformational force and that with care and persistence healing is possible.
I believe therapy works best when both you and your therapist are invested in your growth and your healing.
My job as a therapist is to gently challenge you to try different ways of thinking and acting, so that you can feel better. Your job is to come to session, body and soul.
Please feel welcome to explore the rest of my website.
If you have any questions or would like to schedule a free 10-minute phone consultation, you can email me at mari@marigrande.com.
Warmly,
Approaches to Therapy
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Art Therapy
Making art can be calming and restorative. It can also open the door to unexpected discoveries, quiet insights, and, quite often, a sense of play.
Art therapy is rooted in expression and the creative process. Through image, color, symbol, and form, what may be difficult to verbalize can become more accessible. Art making can help us listen beneath the surface, reach underlying discord, and support healing from trauma.
Because I currently work online, clients use their own art materials from home. These can be simple and accessible, such as paper, markers, colored pencils, pastels, paint, collage materials, or whatever feels inviting and available. We may work with the images you create, your experience of making art, or the questions, feelings, and memories that arise during the creative process.
In addition to my clinical work, I offer continuing education courses for art therapists. These courses may be used toward ATCB credentialing requirements when applicable, or taken simply for learning, professional growth, and creative inspiration. My ATCBCE approval badges are displayed here for those seeking credential-related learning opportunities.
“Research supports the use of art therapy within a professional relationship for the therapeutic benefits gained through artistic self-expression and reflection.”
~American Art Therapy Association, 2016
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EMDR Therapy
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is an integrative psychotherapy approach that has been extensively researched and proven effective for the treatment of trauma. EMDR is a set of standardized protocols that incorporates elements from many different treatment approaches. To date, EMDR therapy has helped millions of people of all ages relieve many types of psychological stress (EMDR International Association.)
I use EMDR to help clients regulate and process experiences that can be overwhelming. Being overwhelmed arises from trauma. Trauma can set in after an emotional or physical event that overtaxes our nervous system, causing high levels of distress. Left untreated, trauma can cause side effects such as depression, anxiety, and addictive behaviors.
I am an Approved EMDRIA Consultant, and able to guide and supervise other EMDR practitioners.
Somatic Experiencing
Body Psychotherapy
Experiences are stored in our body. Working with the body is a potent method for resolving trauma symptoms and relieving chronic stress. The SE approach helps us tune in and release trauma or unresolved emotions held in the body. This approach is key to transforming PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) and the wounds of emotional shock and early developmental attachment trauma.
Psychoanalysis
Talk Therapy
Psychoanalysis is the art of listening and connecting. My aim is to enrich our therapeutic, collaborative relationship. What is lovely about a psychoanalytic method is it helps me get to know you better. We find out who you are and what makes you feel, think, or do things. This way you can make better-informed decisions on what you need and don’t need in your life. This works best with honesty, trust, and time.
Hypnotherapy
Hypnosis Treatment
Hypnosis helps the conscious mind communicate with the unconscious mind while in a deep state of concentration. When these powerful forces within us are listening to each other, realizations otherwise not accessible become apparent. Realizations can be subtle, and sometimes that is all that is needed for change to begin. Hypnosis can be a gentle tracking and pacing of our internal worlds, a prelude to other psychodynamic work, or targeting a specific behavior or habit.
Alternative Therapies:
Before focusing exclusively on adult clients, I cultivated a deep understanding of the value of play, metaphor, and maintaining an open heart.
The creative tools I’ve gathered throughout my career, including art therapy techniques, still influence my work today. These methods often manifest through Oracle Cards, Mandala Assessments, Astrology discussions, Reiki infusions, and spontaneous art and writing prompts.
Nurturing the inner child is essential, offering a safe space to explore, express, and be truly seen.