Marisa holds a MA in Counseling Psychology and is a licensed MFT.  Her background is in coordinating triage response to undergraduate and graduate students experiencing mental health distress. Marisa’s greatest sense of joy and satisfaction came from working with parents to help them understand the challenges that lay ahead, being a part of the response team, and assisting them in finding the most effective and appropriate treatment options. She is thrilled to be doing this important work at Journey to Better.

As the Acting Director of Student Mental Health Coordination Services at UC Santa Barbara, Marisa managed the responses to crisis events such as hospitalizations, arrests, and high-level safety concerns. As primary point-of-contact, Marisa analyzed the situation, worked closely with treatment providers, and engaged in psycho-education with the student and their parents, including working with therapeutic consultants to find appropriate placements for residential or outpatient treatment.

Prior to her work on a university campus, she was in private practice in Santa Barbara, California, counseling young adults, couples, and families. Marisa and her husband currently live in Bend, Oregon, where she spends as much time as possible enjoying the outdoors and hiking in the mountains.