Marea Murray, LCSW

Marea Murray is a licensed clinical social worker with 36 years of experience helping people face anxiety, stress, trauma, and relationship concerns. She works directly with individuals on issues like self-esteem, sexuality, and identity. Her California practice mentions experience with LGBTQ concerns and caregiving stress alongside aging and geriatric issues.

Marea uses a client-centered approach that focuses on each person's goals and pace. She pairs that with mindfulness and somatic work to help people notice how thoughts and the body interact. Motivational interviewing and solution-focused techniques are also part of her toolkit when clients want clear steps forward.

Sessions address day-to-day coping, communication problems, and lingering effects of past trauma. She also supports people dealing with social anxiety, isolation, and life-purpose questions. Additional focus areas include caregiver strain, body image, and issues related to HIV / AIDS.

Marea tends to keep things practical in session. Conversations often include small experiments between meetings, short mindfulness practices, and skill-building for handling strong emotions. She aims to help people find manageable changes that fit their daily lives.

Her background includes many years working with people affected by post-traumatic stress and prejudice or discrimination. The work acknowledges how life experience shapes responses and looks for concrete ways to reduce distress and increase agency.

Approaches for online work and practical support

Client-centered therapy begins by following the person's priorities and listening closely to what matters most. This approach helps with relationship strain, identity questions, and decisions about caregiving or life purpose. Mindfulness therapy teaches simple attention and breathing practices to reduce anxious thinking and ground the body when stress spikes. These practices can help with social anxiety, trauma reactions, and daily stress. Somatic therapy pays attention to bodily signals and gentle movement or sensing exercises to release held tension and reconnect feelings with thought in manageable ways.

Choosing an approach is a collaborative process. The therapist will help figure out which methods feel most useful based on a person's goals, comfort, and how they respond in early sessions. Plans are adjusted as needed so the work stays relevant and practical.

The biography notes availability for video and phone appointments during weekdays, so confirm current session formats and scheduling before booking. Online sessions can make it easier to fit therapy into workdays, allow shorter or regular check-ins, and remove travel time. Phone sessions can be a lower-bandwidth option when a video call is not needed. Discussing preferences early helps shape a plan that fits daily life and responsibilities.