Beyond the Couch: A Therapist Spotlight: Marissa Guerro, LMFT
I’d like to introduce you to Marissa Guerrero. Marissa is a licensed marriage and family therapist who enjoys working with youth, families, and with women making their transition into motherhood. She has a passion for working with the Latino community and is bilingual, offering psychotherapy sessions in both English and Spanish.
What brought Marissa to the world of mental healthcare?
Before becoming a therapist, Marissa enjoyed her work with children and families. Marissa’s work included supporting new parents in their transition into parenthood. After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in psychology, Marissa used the time before starting her graduate degree to cultivate her skills in empowering new parents. Marissa found herself asking how she could further assist new mothers specifically in the transition between their “old self” to their “mom life self”. Many of the mothers Marissa worked with found themselves amid an identity crisis between these different life stages. With little support to make this transition emotionally, Marissa noticed an increase in depression and anxiety symptoms within these new mothers. While these mothers were trying to figure out what their “new normal” looked like, they often made this major life transition without support. It was through the connections she made during this period that affirmed her decision to proceed with the long process of becoming a therapist.
What does Marissa enjoy the most about being a mental healthcare provider?
When asked this question, Marissa smiled and said “I really enjoy seeing transformations in my clients. The ‘Aha moments’ are always wonderful! I really like seeing the behavioral changes that follow those moments of gained insight. Those are the most rewarding moments for me.”
What makes Talk Therapy Center of Riverside special?
Marissa believes that diversity, variety of treatment interests, and inclusivity are the most unique parts of Talk Therapy Center as a group practice. “I think it is so great that each therapist within our practice has both broad and specific treatment specialties. I can see that our therapists really can tackle just about anything our clients bring to us with empathy. That is what drew me towards wanting to be a part of the Talk Therapy Center team.”
What Marissa wants you to know about therapy:
“Oftentimes, folks think that therapy is one-sided. That therapists are just strangers telling them what to do, or that a therapist’s job includes fixing people. I always tell my client that therapy is not like that. The metaphor I use to make this point most often is that the client is the driver, I am simply the GPS. I like when my clients understand that I am not the boss of their therapy and I enjoy empowering my clients with that perspective. I also want current and potential clients to know that therapy sessions can include fun moments, too. I want to share in all of my client’s life moments.”