Marian Formanes

Hi, I'm Marian (rhymes with librarian)! I'm a creative Filipino- American Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) and Registered Art Therapist (ATR) who serves clients throughout California via telehealth. I am committed to being fully present in our work so that you can know that when you feel inadequate, you have someone who is curious to explore that feeling with you rather than prescribe you cookie-cutter wisdom.

My approach

When you have been swept up by emotions, feeling truly understood by others is a foreign experience. In my work with clients, I try my best to come to our sessions with no biases and assumptions, which is a therapeutic approach called person-centered/client-centered. It might look like me asking "How does that fit for you?" or "I'm curious how ___ affected you" after I make an observation or suggest an art prompt. Sometimes you might not know the answer as you aren't used to people considering how what they say affects you, and that's okay. What is important is for us to build that emotional muscle, so that with time you will pause to consider what fits best for you, rather than reacting automatically.

My focus

You are swept up with overthinking and anxiety about turning 30 (and let's face it, also reflecting on the last decade of your life) and it seems unthinkable to ask people in your life to help you because you don't want to burden them. It's been hard for you to risk seeming to not have it all because your having it together is what knitted the fabric of your family together. You are used to people telling you what you should do, yet secretly, your heart is aching for someone to just get it. You don't want to be misunderstood and would like a POC/Asian American/Filipino therapist that has similar lived experience to you

My communication style

Working with me looks like gentle curiosity with accountability. Other ways to describe what therapy with me is: developing wisdom for your own growth, exploring expanded perspectives, art therapy and not just art-making, focusing on how you are showing up for yourself that aligns with your chosen values, and building a customized service for you, curated with my training and own lived experience

My journey to mental healthcare

I additionally studied art therapy in graduate school in 2011 (when others said just a master's in Marriage and Family Therapy would suffice) because my brain works best when I have the training and foundational understanding... and then I can approach our work intuitively and with flexibility. I don't want my clients to feel like they are guinea pigs (as cute as guinea pigs are) in order for me to figure out how to incorporate art and clinical training to see what works/sticks. I also didn't want to rely heavily on the healing nature of art-making itself to address the needs you have (because then you have just gone to town at Michael's yourself, right?).

My goals for you

As odd as it may sound to talk about the future already at this point, I ask clients to imagine that we have been working together in therapy for a while. I ask how they would know it's time to "graduate" from therapy and what that would look like. From this conversation, we can determine what our goals for therapy will be like so I can help you get to graduation on your own terms.