Marie Fang (she/her)

Many of the clients I work with wish to focus on faith-related issues specifically, such as faith deconstruction. It's also common that my clients wish to focus on other issues, but wish to see a therapist who understands their faith background. I have a special interest supporting LGBTQ-identifying Christians.

Gender and sexuality are often misunderstood in both secular and faith-based culture. This can lead to isolation from both faith community and sometimes even from LGBTQ+ safe spaces. I strive to foster a sense of safety when working with clients seeking support around their gender or sexuality. My goal is not to offer my own agenda, theology, or morality. Rather, my role is to be with and safely support my clients, wherever they are at in their process.

Counseling for anxiety was the primary impetus that drove me to pursue becoming a therapist, and it remains a bedrock of the work that I do. Sometimes anxiety can become problematic, whether we are experiencing more anxiety than a situation typically warrants, or we are overwhelmed by a genuinely anxiety-ridden scenario in life. I have special experience working with panic disorder and scrupulosity (a religious form of OCD).

In line with Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, my primary goal is to understand your core values and personality, and make efforts to support you in aligning your actions with who you are.

Particularly when treating acute symptoms of anxiety (e.g., panic attacks), cognitive behavioral therapy is highly effective. In such situations, I work directly with clients to shift negative automatic thoughts. I also utilize exposure and response prevention for treatment of OCD and systematic desensitization for panic disorder and panic attacks.

Though I lean heavily on ACT and CBT, the core of my work leans on understanding our patterns across the lifespan and how they manifest in our current thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. By combining psychodynamic strategies with CBT and ACT, my clients are able to experience quick relief from challenging experiences while creating space for deeper change.