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MS Portrait of Marisa Schaff

Marisa Schaff

Compassionate, practical therapy for life transitions

LICSW Washington

Experience
10 years in practice
Focus areas
Stress, Anxiety, Addictions, Relationship
Approaches
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
Languages
English
Explore online therapy options

About Marisa

Marisa Schaff is a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker (LICSW) practicing in Washington who helps people navigating stress, anxiety, addiction, relationship challenges, trauma, grief, and life transitions.

Background and approach

She brings a decade of clinical experience that began in substance use treatment and expanded into family systems and marriage and family therapy training. Marisa emphasizes a collaborative stance, treating clients as experts in their own lives while offering structured tools to meet individual goals.

Her style is strength-based and often incorporates a lightness of humor when appropriate, balancing the hard work of therapy with opportunities for learning and growth. She draws on several evidence-informed methods, including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), EMDR, mindfulness approaches, and motivational interviewing, adapting techniques to each client’s needs.

Marisa has worked in settings ranging from drug court to residential treatment for pregnant and postpartum women, giving her broad exposure to addiction, trauma, mood disorders, and family dynamics. Evening and some weekend appointments are available.

Her practice focuses on supporting people through practical skills, processing difficult experiences, and building resilience for ongoing life challenges.

How practical therapeutic approaches work online

Marisa commonly uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) in her online practice. CBT focuses on identifying and changing unhelpful thoughts and behaviors, offering concrete skills for anxiety, depression, and stress. DBT emphasizes emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and interpersonal effectiveness, which can help when relationships, intense emotions, or impulsive behaviors are central concerns.

Choosing the right approach is a collaborative process. The therapist will work with each client to explore goals, preferences, and responses to different techniques, adjusting strategies over time to find the best fit for specific needs and circumstances.

Online therapy with Marisa is offered through video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging, which can make attending sessions easier around work and family commitments. These options provide flexibility for scheduling, allow consistent contact between sessions when helpful, and support continuity of care even when in-person meetings are difficult to arrange. Practically-minded clients often find that combining structured skills work with accessible communication formats helps them apply new tools in daily life.

Frequently asked questions

What concerns does she commonly address?
Her practice addresses stress, anxiety, addictions, relationship and intimacy issues, trauma and abuse, grief, bipolar and depression, self-esteem, ADHD, and other life changes.
What is her therapeutic style and approach?
She uses a person-centered, strength-based style and integrates techniques from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), DBT, EMDR, mindfulness, motivational interviewing, and psychodynamic ideas to match each client’s needs.
How much clinical experience does she have?
She has ten years of professional experience, beginning in substance use counseling and expanding into family systems and marriage and family therapy training.
What credentials and location are listed?
She is a LICSW with license details WA LICSW LW61106044 and practices in Washington.
In what languages can sessions be conducted and are international clients accepted?
Sessions are offered in English, and she is not currently accepting international clients.
Which session formats are available?
Clients may work with her via video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging.
How are costs and subscriptions handled?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability; sessions use a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.
What are the first steps to begin therapy?
Begin by selecting the Start Therapy button, completing a short matching questionnaire, and scheduling according to therapist availability.

Areas of expertise

Primary focus

Stress, AnxietyAddictionsRelationship issuesTrauma and abuseIntimacy-related issues

Also works with

Family conflictsGriefSelf esteemBipolar disorderDepressionCoping with life changesADHD

Additional focus areas

AbandonmentAttachment issuesCo-morbidityCodependencyCommunication problemsControl issuesDrug and alcohol addictionFamily of origin issuesFamily problemsFirst responder issuesForgivenessGuilt and shameInfidelityIsolation / lonelinessLife purposeVeteran and Armed Forces IssuesMood disordersPost-traumatic stressProcess addiction (porn, exercise, gambling)Self-harmSexual assault and abuseWomen's issues

Therapeutic approaches

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)Mindfulness TherapyMotivational InterviewingPsychodynamic TherapySolution-Focused TherapyTrauma-Focused Therapy

Experience

10+ years

Licensed

Washington

Languages

English