Business Details
44 Years
experience
Inclusive Psychotherapy in San Francisco
The Marina Counseling Center has been a trusted resource in the Bay Area since 1982, providing compassionate and inclusive psychotherapy for adults, children, couples, and families. Our team of Masters-level therapists, supervised by licensed professionals, offers personalized care tailored to diverse cultural, gender, and identity needs. We specialize in trauma recovery, LGBTQ+ affirming care, anxiety, depression, and life transitions, with a commitment to accessibility through sliding scale fees. Our holistic training program has nurtured hundreds of emerging therapists, ensuring high-quality care rooted in equity and cultural responsiveness. We prioritize creating safe spaces for clients to explore their authentic selves while addressing systemic and historical oppression.With flexible in-person and virtual appointments, we meet clients where they are on their healing journey. Our mission combines client-centered therapy with rigorous professional development, fostering both individual and community growth. For over four decades, we have championed mental health care that integrates body, mind, and social context. Our values emphasize compassionate presence, equity, authentic embodiment, and community collaboration. We serve California residents with a focus on the Bay Area's diverse population.
Services
Individual Therapy
Couples Counseling
Family Therapy
Trauma Recovery
LGBTQ+ Affirming Care
Anxiety Management
Depression Treatment
Life Transitions Support
Cultural Competency Therapy
Sliding Scale Fees
Details
- Year established: 1982
Highlights and features
- We offer over 40 years of experience in inclusive psychotherapy training and practice.
- Our sliding scale fees ensure mental health care accessibility for all income levels.
- Therapists specialize in trauma, LGBTQ+ affirming care, and culturally responsive therapy.
- We provide both in-person and virtual sessions for client convenience.
- Our team includes bilingual and neurodivergent-affirming therapists with diverse expertise.
Services
Individual Therapy
Our individual therapy sessions provide personalized mental health support tailored to your unique needs. Clients explore emotional challenges, develop coping strategies, and work toward personal growth in a safe, nonjudgmental environment. Therapists specialize in trauma, anxiety, depression, and identity exploration, using evidence-based approaches adapted to each client's lived experience and cultural context.
Couples Counseling
Couples counseling helps partners improve communication, resolve conflicts, and strengthen emotional connections. Our therapists address relationship patterns, attachment wounds, and intimacy challenges while honoring diverse relationship structures. Sessions focus on building mutual understanding and creating healthier dynamics through collaborative, culturally responsive therapeutic approaches.
Trauma Recovery
Specialized trauma recovery services address PTSD, complex trauma, and historical oppression using somatic and psychodynamic approaches. Therapists help clients process traumatic experiences, develop grounding techniques, and rebuild emotional resilience. Treatment integrates body awareness with traditional talk therapy to support holistic healing and post-traumatic growth.
LGBTQ+ Affirming Care
LGBTQ+ affirming care provides safe, validating mental health support for queer and trans clients. Therapists specialize in gender identity exploration, coming-out processes, and addressing systemic discrimination. Services include individual and couples therapy that celebrates diverse identities while addressing unique mental health challenges faced by the queer community.
Sliding Scale Fees
Our sliding scale fee structure ensures therapy accessibility for all income levels. Fees are determined based on individual financial circumstances, removing economic barriers to mental health care. This commitment to affordability maintains high-quality services while making professional therapy available to underserved populations in the Bay Area community.
People
Stephanie Del Chiaro
Executive Director
A bilingual LMFT from San Francisco's Mission District, Stephanie provides culturally grounded therapy and clinical supervision. She specializes in BIPOC and LGBTQ+ experiences, focusing on systemic impacts on mental health while offering facilitation and consultation services.
Laurie Dievendorf
Director of Programming
With a master's in Counseling/Psychology, Laurie offers humanistic therapy addressing emotional health intersections. She has over a decade of wellness experience, teaching empowerment workshops and creating safe spaces for self-expression through holistic approaches.
Joshua Greene
Director of Training
A licensed therapist and MCC alumni, Joshua focuses on relationship patterns and somatic work. He supervises clinicians, leads training programs, and maintains a private practice while emphasizing safety and present-moment connection in therapeutic relationships.
Cody Freas
Payroll Coordinator
With 20+ years in accounting, Cody manages financial operations from San Antonio. Though non-clinical, he supports therapists administratively, ensuring smooth practice management while maintaining a client-focused service approach.
Karen Chan
Associate Therapist
A first-generation Asian immigrant, Karen specializes in BIPOC, polyamorous, and LGBTQ+ communities. She addresses anxiety, intergenerational trauma, and identity exploration using decolonial and somatic approaches while affirming neurodivergent and kink identities.
Questions
What types of therapy services do you offer?
We provide individual, couples, family, and teen therapy specializing in trauma recovery, LGBTQ+ affirming care, anxiety, depression, and cultural competency therapy for diverse identities.
Do you offer sliding scale fees?
Yes, our sliding scale fees adjust based on income to ensure accessible mental health care for all clients in the Bay Area community.
Are your therapists licensed?
All therapists are Masters-level associates under licensed supervisors. Many hold or are pursuing LMFT credentials through our rigorous training program.
Do you provide virtual therapy sessions?
Yes, we offer both in-person sessions at our San Francisco offices and virtual appointments to serve California residents statewide.
How do you match clients with therapists?
We consider your identity, therapeutic goals, and preferences to connect you with a therapist whose approach and expertise best align with your specific needs.
