Peer Support
How I Help
I offer one-on-one sessions by phone, text, or video to support you in exploring whatever you’re struggling with, tackling challenges, discovering your passions, and creating a life with meaning and purpose. I'll provide guidance and resources when possible, though I don't know all the answers, and my most important role is listening and empowering you to make the choices you want. I am not here to "fix" you—there's nothing wrong with you—but to build a genuine relationship where we can learn from one another and our lived experiences and to give you hope that things can get better.
Why Peer Support
As a certified peer specialist with eight years of professional experience in the mental health field, I have a wealth of knowledge and skills, including a focus on support of people with suicidal thoughts. What’s worth more, I think, is that I get it—because I’ve been there too.
Have you ever shared your thoughts with your therapist and felt like they just didn’t understand? Or worse, they panicked? Our educational backgrounds and degrees can only take us so far. Many times what we need is to talk to someone who’s gone through something similar.
I’m not a therapist, and I won’t treat you like a patient. We’re equals. If I relate to what you’ve said, I’ll be open about that and may share my own experience or perspective. This also means I will never report you to 911/988 or coerce you into hospitalization—I promise. It’s happened to me, and I refuse to put another person in that situation. Instead, I’ll listen. I’ll sit with you in the darkness, and I’ll keep listening.
I hope to be a support as you navigate our fractured and complex mental health system and the complicated questions that arise whether you’ve received a diagnosis, are dealing with trauma, or likely both.
If you'd like to get a better sense of who I am, visit my Substack(opens in new tab) newsletter or Instagram(opens in new tab).
Beliefs & Lived Experience
I believe in conscious communication(opens in new tab), that we should care about the impact of our words on others and make purposeful choices about the language we use. I will respect the language you use to identify yourself and what you've experienced.
I try my best to offer kindness and compassion, rather than judgment, and to respect different beliefs and ways of life, but I will not tolerate hate speech.
I am a cisgender white female and turned 40 this year. I'm bi/pansexual and active in the LGBTQ+ community. I've been a foster parent and am physically disabled, though my disability isn't visible. I've struggled with body image and eating most of my life and have had suicidal thoughts since age 12. I grew up in a middle-class family with a mom, dad, and sister and have been married for over a decade. I've been labeled with many diagnoses, all of which I'm open to disclosing if asked. I have experience with many kinds of treatments for depression, such as IV ketamine, TMS, light therapy, meds, and more.
HEAR FROM FOLKS I'VE SUPPORTED
"Marisa is a compassionate person who really listens and wants to help in any capacity she can, and is very open and trustworthy. She is truly a peer, as she has experienced what it's like to be in the other person's shoes in many ways, so her empathy is real. She will even search for resources to help you if you are in need of anything. I recommend her to anyone who wants/needs to be heard. You will not be disappointed."
— S. C.
"What I like most about Marisa is her empathy and her willingness to not only listen to me vent but also actively engage with me whenever I do. I am truly grateful for her, and I can't even begin to say how much she has helped me in my recovery!"
— W. C. V.
"I was having a really tough time, and I felt bad about feeling that way. What helped me the most was just talking and sharing my experiences. It made me feel like someone was really listening, and that mattered a lot. Talking with Marisa showed me that it’s okay to feel what I feel and that there's nothing wrong with me, some bad things just happened in my life. If you need someone who understands and really cares about your struggles, I definitely suggest reaching out to Marisa. I feel so lucky to have met her."
— A. B.
"I am deeply grateful for my conversations with Marisa. I've gotten so used to therapists changing practices, moving, getting pregnant, or just dropping me and having to start from scratch year after year. But Marisa's stuck with me through everything. I literally wouldn't be here without her kindness and support."
— L. A.
Of Mice and Mental Health (opens in new tab)
Dissecting the tangled web of mental health with a supportive group of cartoon mice.