About Marissa
Marissa Yoshikawa-Machado is a licensed mental health counselor (LMHC) based in Hawaii who helps people facing stress, anxiety, depression, grief, relationship and family concerns. She also supports people dealing with trauma and abuse, low self-esteem, and life changes. Marissa writes in plain terms and aims to make the first step feel manageable for someone who is nervous about asking for help.
Her approach blends Client-Centered care, cognitive behavioral techniques, and mindfulness practices.
How Marissa works
In sessions she focuses on what is happening now and on practical steps that can reduce symptoms and improve daily functioning. She pays attention to how thoughts, feelings, and behaviors interact and uses mindfulness to help people notice and respond differently. Marissa emphasizes openness, trust, and compassion during sessions.
She encourages people to share their feelings and thoughts without judgment and works collaboratively to set goals. Sessions may include talk, skill building, and exercises to practice between meetings. Her background includes four years of experience in the counseling field and work in several settings with people facing anxiety, depression, major life transitions, and communication difficulties.
That range of experience informs a flexible, down-to-earth style. Many people come for help with communication problems, forgiveness, guilt and shame, loneliness, self-love, and workplace stress. Marissa aims to guide each person through current challenges, review past patterns when helpful, and support steps toward their goals.
Marissa lists 3 ways of working on the entry:
What Marissa works with
The areas below are the ones Marissa selected when setting up a profile. The first one is listed as the main focus; the rest are also named.
Also listed
Training and background
| Register | LMHC |
|---|---|
| Years in practice | 4 |
| Languages | English |
| Session format | Online: video, phone, live chat or messaging |
| Country | Hawaii |
Memberships and registers are shown as supplied; they are not licences, and this directory does not verify them.
Online support options
Approaches and online therapy that fit your life
Client-Centered Therapy focuses on the person sitting across from the therapist. It involves listening closely, reflecting feelings, and helping people find their own answers when coping with stress, relationship problems, or grief.Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, looks at how thoughts and behaviors affect mood. It teaches practical skills to change unhelpful thinking and try new behaviors for anxiety, depression, and workplace stress.
Finding the right approach is a team effort. Marissa will work with each person to decide which methods match their needs, goals, and preferences. She adjusts techniques over time based on what is helping and what is not.
Online therapy offers several practical benefits. Video calls let people see facial cues and build rapport when a longer session is needed. Phone sessions are useful when bandwidth is limited or a simpler check-in is preferred. Live chat and text-based messaging work well for quick updates, shorter check-ins, or when typing feels easier than talking. These options give flexibility for scheduling and let people fit therapy into a busy life.
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Common questions
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A practical next step
Write down two things you would want to be different in six months. That is the most useful thing to bring to a first session, whoever it is with. If you would rather start now than keep reading, online sessions are the quickest route.
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