Marisa K. Mickel, LCSW

Are you an actor, musician, writer, painter, graphic designer, or other creative professional / soul? Great! More info on my work with creatives HERE.
Psychotherapy Bio:
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My approach to psychotherapy attends to your concerns not only in the present moment, but also with attention to their origin and your future health and happiness. To do so, I integrate various psychological modalities, such as Jungian awareness, intersubjectivity, object relations theory, CBT, and Vedic psychology, as relevant and helpful to you. Said more simply: I've assembled quite a toolbox over many years of training and experience. Which tools we use depends on what works for you.

​My interest and training in psychoanalytic psychotherapy arose from my combined professional background in the creative arts and a decades-long practice and exploration of meditation. This background is apparent in my specialized work with creative professionals and meditators (often both!). 

In keeping with my commitment to ongoing psychoanalytic training and study, I am also the director of PPSC's one-year certificate program, Clinical Journeys (where I also teach).
"Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakes." 
​-- C. G. Jung
Meditation Bio:
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As a meditation teacher, I'm similarly interested in bespoke approaches to individual needs.

I began meditating in childhood, initially favoring present-moment and loving-kindness approaches. Thirteen years ago, I received a Vedic bija mantra, and have been practicing this twice daily meditation technique ever since. Although my personal preference is for transcendent approaches (such as VM), I continue to actively study, practice, and train in a range of meditation disciplines in order to best understand and meet diverse preferences and needs. My supplemental training draws from all four primary meditation forms (Present-Moment Awareness; Calm Focus; Energized Body-Mind; and Transcendent / Unified Consciousness) and includes both deep exploration of the Vedas (including Ayurveda, the Yoga Sutras, Upanishads, and use of Mudras, Asana, and Pranayama), as well as continuing education in Mindfulness from both psychological and meditation-based perspectives.  I also worked as an assistant teacher in The Veda Center's esteemed 200-hour meditation teacher-training program.

As both a psychotherapist and a meditation teacher, I am committed to understanding each person's unique background, psychology, and meditation mind-type, so that together we can sculpt the specific meditation or psychotherapy practice that best serves you.

Education:
  • Yale University, B.A.
  • NYU Silver School of Social Work, M.S.W.
  • Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy Study Center: Certificate in Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy
  • The Veda Center: Certification in the Four Phases of Meditation (Present-Moment, Calm Focus, Energized Body-Mind, Transcendent/Self-Discovery)
  • Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy Study Center:  Ongoing eclectic, post-graduate, analytic training
License: L.C.S.W.