HI, I’M MARLEN. Book A Free Consultation Now

(Mar-lenn  VEE-ah-ges  Gar-SEE-ah)

Anxiety, LGBTQIA+ Affirming, Trauma, and Identity Therapy in Greenville, NC

Compassionate, Judgment-Free Counseling for Adults | Telehealth Across NC, SC, FL, and VT

Have you ever made a joke about yourself, and people responded, “Why would you say that?” Have people told you “It’s not a big deal” or “stop overreacting”? Have you ever been asked, “Why are you acting like that?” — or compared to someone else like you weren’t enough just as you are?

Maybe you’re the one who takes on everyone else’s weight before your own. Or maybe you’ve found yourself biting your nails, picking at your skin, or pulling at your hair — not because you want to, but because it feels like the one small thing you can actually control when everything else feels like too much.

If any of that landed — you’re in the right place.

I Help People With

• Anxiety and depression that’s hard to put into words
• Body-focused repetitive behaviors (BFRBs) — nail biting, skin picking, hair pulling, and fidgeting
• OCD and intrusive thoughts
• LGBTQIA+ identity exploration and affirmation
• Trauma — whether or not you’ve found the right words for it yet
• People-pleasing, burnout, and the exhaustion of putting everyone else first
• Boundary-setting and learning to take up space

What Clients Tell Me

“I feel like I can’t be myself anywhere.”
“Everyone keeps telling me I’m too much — or not enough.”
“I’ve never had a therapist who actually got it.”

Many of the people I work with have spent years minimizing their experiences, or wondering if what they feel is “real enough” to deserve support. It absolutely is. You don’t have to have it perfectly articulated to walk through the door.

You just have to show up — exactly as you are.

What Therapy With Me Actually Looks Like

Therapy doesn’t have to feel stiff, clinical, or like you’re being observed under a microscope.

Sessions with me tend to include genuine humor and the occasional well-placed sarcasm — because laughter is part of healing too. You’re welcome to say exactly what’s on your mind (yes, including the words your mother told you not to say). Memes and cat photos? Fair game. Snacks during session? Go ahead — I might join you.

Underneath all of that, you’ll find steady, grounded, and genuinely caring support. I believe in giving you the floor, meeting you where you are, and creating a space where you feel comfortable just being yourself. Because at the end of the day, feeling truly understood by your therapist is one of the most important parts of finding the right fit.

My Approach

There’s no one-size-fits-all in therapy. I draw from a diverse set of evidence-based approaches to meet each person’s unique needs, including:

• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) — reshaping the thought patterns that keep you stuck
• Motivational Interviewing — helping you find your own reasons and readiness for change
• Strength-Based Interventions — building on what you already have going for you
• Art Therapy — for when words just don’t cut it
• Systemic and Sociocultural Awareness — because the world around us shapes us, and that matters

I also stay curious. If something falls outside what I already know, I’ll research it until I find the best possible approach for you.

Who I Work With

I work with adults navigating identity, emotional overwhelm, and the moments life throws at you that nobody warned you about. Sessions are available in person in Greenville, NC and via telehealth across North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, and Vermont.

Outside the Therapy Room

Because I’m a real person too — when I’m not in session, you’ll probably find me rebuilding my Animal Crossing island for the third time (still not over it), hunting through Goodwill for VHS tapes, lifting at the gym, taking approximately one million photos of my three cats, losing track of time on a painting, or deep in an anime marathon. No spoilers, please.

Ready to Finally Feel Heard?

Whether you’re carrying something heavy you’ve never said out loud, or you’re just tired of shrinking yourself to fit — therapy can be the place where you finally don’t have to.

You don’t have to have it all figured out to begin.

Credentials

• Licensed Clinical Social Worker Associate (LCSW-A) — North Carolina
• Master of Social Work (MSW) — Aurora University, Chicago, IL

Before stepping into therapy, Marlen worked as a care manager supporting pregnant individuals in public health and as a social worker within the DSS system — experiences that shaped a grounded, human, and deeply empathetic perspective on the real complexity of people’s lives and the systems that intersect with them.