Mariel Farhi

Therapist at Bethesda Counseling Services

I see life as a journey full of expected and unexpected challenges, twists and turns, with many points for reflection, growth, and healing along the way. If you have reached a stage in your travels where you're ready to have a companion in the quest to understand where you've been, how you got here, and where you want to go next, you've come to the right place. Therapy can be a place to slow down and through open, warm, and engaging conversations where you can get curious, explore, and uncover the insights that are already within you to enact the changes you want to see.

My goal as a therapist is to meet you where you are now to help you face whatever is coming up for you with increased clarity, confidence, and courage to deepen your understanding of yourself and others and find relief from what burdens you. I love working with mature teens and adults coping with a variety of challenges, such as anxiety, depression, trauma, issues of self-esteem, boundary setting, and existential issues -- in short, if it interests you about yourself, it interests me. I also work with couples working through challenges around communication, building and re-building trust, navigating intercultural and interfaith issues, and coping with stressors that come from outside of the relationship.

 My graduate education in marriage and family therapy facilitate my systems-focused, culturally sensitive and LGBTQ+ affirming, and trauma-informed approach to my work with all my clients. My undergraduate background in philosophy and life-long love determination to understand what makes people tick informs my use of the ACT, psychodynamic, and existential modalities. I have also completed training Gottman Couples Therapy (Levels 1 and 2), PREPARE/ENRICH to facilitate pre-marital counseling, and the Levels 1 and 2 of the Trauma Certificate Program at the nationally recognized Ferentz Institute.

When I'm not in the therapy room, I enjoy spending time in nature, road trips, yoga, reading, making art, and spoiling my two cats.