Marcus is an Associate Marriage and Family Therapist (#12976). He earned his master’s degree in Counseling Psychology at The Wright Institute in Berkeley and a bachelor’s degree in Clinical Psychology from San Francisco State University.
Marcus’s natural warmth, authenticity, and sense of humor enable him to establish easy rapport and meaningful connections with clients of all ages and from diverse backgrounds. He comes to Loyal Blue following several years of experience as a therapist for Berkeley High School, Bishop O’Dowd High School, and the Pacific Center, which serves the LGBTQIA+ community.
In Marcus’s work with middle and high school students, he has creative ways that engage kids and earn their trust. He is able to frame counseling as an enjoyable journey in self-awareness and skills-building experience and clients find him to be a great and responsive ally in their growth.
Marcus is also trusted by our staff as a skilled couples therapist and a co-parenting expert. He often assists entire families in achieving their goals. Marcus welcomes all varieties of couples and families including those individuals with relationship goals to discuss prior to beginning couples work.
Marcus uses a strength-based and client-centered approach, which creates a safe environment that promotes compassion, curiosity, and acceptance. People coming into therapy often focus on what they believe to be broken or wrong with them. Instead, Marcus takes a gentler approach of self-discovery that not only feels better but is more productive. Marcus gravitates towards the idea of cultivating tools to solve problems rather than prescriptions to alleviate symptoms.
When he’s not connecting with clients, Marcus enjoys watching classic film, fitness, and songwriting. Pre-pandemic, Marcus could often be found performing in local coffee shops and small venues around the Bay Area.
Marcus is accepting new clients for in-person and telehealth sessions to those residing in California.
Registered Associate Marriage and Family Therapist #12976. Our AMFTs like Marcus receive weekly supervision from our team of licensed supervisors.
Marcus Specializes in:
- Students of all ages
- Social anxiety, self-worth, and self-confidence
- Couples and parenting
- LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC communities
Blog Posts By Marcus:
- Why Emotionally Focused Therapy Works For Couples. Learn some principles from this popular couples method to improve your relationship.
Recent Trainings and Seminars:
CBT Toolbox for Children & Adolescents. Skills-based approach geared towards students who need support with self-talk, inner critics, motivation, and more.
Emotionally Focused Therapy: (EFT) is a popular and effective couples approach. See Marcus’s blog post about it!
Dialectical Behavior Therapy: DBT is a type of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy with many skills-based interventions in its four modules: emotional regulation, distress tolerance, mindfulness, and interpersonal skills.
CBT for Insomnia: Positively transforming clients’ sleep and well-being with CBT-I training. Learned how to enhance sleep efficiency, address chronic insomnia, manage sleep-related anxiety, and adapt strategies for clients with PTSD, chronic pain, and other challenges—all while safely tackling co-occurring sleep disorders like sleep apnea.
