Marisa Schaff, LICSW

Marisa Schaff is a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker (LICSW) and a recognized Substance Use Disorder Professional in the State of Washington. She began her work in behavioral health as a substance abuse counselor in 2010, initially supporting adolescents and learning firsthand how substance use and mental health often overlap.

Marisa completed a Master of Social Work at the University of Denver with a concentration in Family Systems and earned a certificate in Animal-Assisted Social Work. While at Denver she also completed coursework in the psychology department addressing military culture and treatment. During graduate school she enrolled in a two-year post-graduate training program at the Denver Family Institute focused on marriage and family therapy, graduating from that program in February 2019.

Her professional background spans a wide range of settings, from drug court programs to residential treatment for pregnant and postpartum women. She has supported people facing anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, trauma and abuse, addiction, relationship and communication difficulties, family conflict, grief, self-esteem concerns, ADHD, and other life changes.

Marisa uses a strength-based, person-centered style that can include humor and warmth when appropriate. She integrates techniques from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, EMDR, Solution-Focused work, and Narrative Therapy and tailors interventions to fit each personâs goals. She believes people are experts in their own lives and aims to collaborate to help them move through challenges. She has offered evening and some weekend appointments to accommodate varied schedules.