About Mari

howdy!

I grew up in Austin, Texas and earned a Bachelors degree in Social Work from the University of Texas at Austin.  Then, I moved west and received my Masters degree in Social Work from the University of Washington in Seattle before settling in Portland in 2013. I have worked with children and families in a variety of settings including: juvenile justice, schools, inpatient residential treatment centers, and outpatient clinics. I enjoy working with all definitions of families and clients from various ethnic, cultural and socio-economic backgrounds. I'm passionate about helping people find real and sustainable change and I'm honored to witness the changes that happen in my client's therapeutic journeys. 

I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) in the State of Oregon. I have specialized training in Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT), Adoption and Foster Family Therapy, and Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders (PMADs) to be able to treat families wholly and fully. I practice from an attachment and systemic approach using Structural/Strategic Family Therapy and Emotionally Focused (Family) Therapy. That’s a bunch of fancy jargon for: I tailor my approach to helping each child and family based on individual needs because all families are unique, and parents/caregivers often define "happy" and "successful" differently. Frankly, this looks like helping clients to feel safe and supported to be able to talk to their loved ones about what's bothering them in and outside of therapy.  I strongly believe that clients are more likely to have positive therapy experiences and outcomes when important people (i.e. parents/caregivers/loved ones) are included in their treatment and therefore, I require family participation for children and adolescents.  

When I'm not in the office, you can find me searching for the best Hazelnut Latte...unless, of course, it's NCAA football season: then, I'll be cheering on the Texas Longhorns and eating lots of chips, guac and brisket queso. I love (the idea of) exploring the beautiful PNW, walking around Multnomah Village with my husband, two children, and our pup, Maggie or pretending I know how to garden. But in reality, I’m reminding myself to drink more water, folding the everlasting mountain of laundry, and trying to figure out what we’re having for dinner for the millionth time.