Marissa Tunis, Psy.D.

Promoting positive change is my mission.

My mission is to make a positive impact on every person who enters my practice.

I understand that it’s a privilege to do this work. I hold confidence, stories of the darkest times, and hope for the future.

You are coming to me because you need genuine, meaningful change. There is a lot at stake.

Becoming a Psychologist resulted from my journey.

I knew I wanted to become a therapist in my teens when I struggled with a mood disorder. Recovering and getting better from that disorder took over ten years. That experience made me realize that there had to be a better way.

As a result of my personal journey, I embarked on becoming a psychologist. I studied, trained, received mentoring, had to take time off, got back to it, and continued to add more training and skills each year.

Here are some insights into my education and experience.

I received my B.S. in Psychology and B.A. in Business Administration from the University of Florida.

After working for a year as an assistant for a therapist in private practice, I started graduate school at the California School of Professional Psychology in Los Angeles. There, I received my Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology. My doctoral research focused on the intergenerational transmission of trauma.

Through the years, I’ve had the great honor of working in various settings with truly incredible people. I worked with performers and writers at a comedy school and theatre, young adults who were profoundly struggling with their thoughts and feelings at a psychiatric institute, seniors who were getting their memory tested at research clinics, grieving employees at a large media company, and stressed and troubled families at a teen treatment center.

Now, private practice feels like home.

I work with clients I love. I witness their pain and tears. We make each other laugh, and I feel tremendous joy at their wins. I could not imagine a more satisfying job.

I am lucky to have a rich life outside of my work.

I’m a mother, a partner, and a therapy dog owner (her name is Gizmo). Spending time with family and friends is everything.

Learning about psychedelic medicine and non-ordinary states of consciousness through meditation and breathwork brings me joy.

I love all kinds of comedy, music, travel, watching football, and sharing dog memes.

My favorite places are Big Sur, Bruges, Joshua Tree, Vegas for the weekend, and NYC in autumn.

Click the Curriculum Vitae button below to learn more about my work history and training.