Are we a good fit?

Therapist-client fit can impact greatly impact progress in therapy. We believe you will benefit from a clinician you connect with, feel comfortable with, and that has training related to the things you want help with.

When considering a therapist we encourage you to consider things like clinical style, experience, therapy techniques used, location of the therapy office, and schedule options (e.g., appointment times, telehealth or in person options). Listed below you can learn a little about us and our therapeutic approaches. This website also  has information about our therapy rates, insurance, and the times and days we offer sessions.

We offer brief free 10-15 minute telephone consults to see if we may be a fit for your treatment needs.

The Team

Marissa Schnell, MA, LPA, MSW, LCSW

Owner and Therapist

While I am able to help with many mental health challenges and personal goals, I specialize in therapy services for teens and adults with Anxiety, ADHD, OCD, low self-esteem, and trauma.

I greatly enjoy working with individuals who identify as neurodiverse, creative spirits, and people who have often felt different, misunderstood, or unique.

Clinical Approach

My clinical style is flexible, creative, strength-based and goal-oriented. I believe in helping clients identify values and goals that matter to them and to guide treatment. Sessions involve listening and support, but also involve active strategies to address symptoms and challenges that have brought you to treatment. Change and healing can feel overwhelming at first, but breaking things into small steps and finding ways to measure progress often can lead to positive results.

Clinical Specializations

For Individuals with Anxiety – I often help best with social anxiety, anxiety related to past trauma and/or difficult childhood experiences, anxiety related to life transitions, and generalized anxiety disorder.

For Individuals with ADHD – I often work well with people seeking to increase self-understanding, learn skills to address challenges, strengthen relationships, strengthen self-confidence, strengthen social skills, increase the ability to assertively communicate with others, increase self-compassion,  and work on challenges related to self-esteem.

For Individuals with OCD – I use a combination of therapeutic tools to help with OCD and other related challenges. I often use Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), mindfulness skills and trauma-informed therapy techniques with the clients I help.

For Individuals with Trauma – I have significant experience providing therapy services for people who have experienced sexual abuse, bullying, emotional abuse, betrayal, emotional neglect, caregiver disruption in childhood, and violence or excessive in relationships. The resilience, strength, and growth I see when working with these types of clients makes this one of my favorite clinical issues to help people with!

Experience and Techniques

I have worked as a therapist for 12 years in North Carolina. I strongly value learning new therapeutic skills to strengthen the services I provide. The clinical techniques I use vary based on client needs, but include the following:

• Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT)
• Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy (EMDR)
• Brainspotting
• Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TFCBT)
• Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT)
• Play Therapy
• Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
• Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP)
• Mindfulness Skills

Outside of the Office

In addition to being a therapist, I am a parent, friend, and adult with ADHD. Working on my own challenges related to ADHD and anxiety have fueled my passion for helping others with these issues. I value continually learning new strategies and finding or developing resources to help the clients I serve.  When I have free time I enjoy painting, water activities, traveling, Netflix, coffee, podcasts, and spending time with my people and my dogs. I am a creative person who enjoys many types of artistic expression (i.e., music, art, writing, photography, theater). I think creative activities are can be amazing resources for insight and healing! 

If you have any questions or would like to set up a brief consult please contact me at Marissa@peacefulshoretherapy.com or by calling 704-800-5405.

*Please note that email is often the best way to reach me to schedule a free consult or to learn more.

Alejandra Davis, MSW, LCSWA

Therapist

Changes in relationships and work can be stressful! Making big life decisions is rarely easy. Many people describe feeling, lost, stuck, or overwhelmed. If you are experiencing anxiety, depression, changes in sleep, or low self-esteem, therapy can be helpful.

When change involves loss, things can be even more complex.  If you have lost someone, left a job, moved, or ended a relationship you may be experiencing grief. If the loss or change was unexpected that increase overwhelm and other challenging symptoms. Sometimes it’s hard to talk with people in our lives about this. Therapy can help you access support, develop coping strategies and process loss and adjust to the changes that come from it.

I specialize in helping older children (i.e., ages 9-12), teens, and adults experiencing life transitions, grief, depression, trauma, anxiety, and stress management.

Clinical Approach

My approach is rooted in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), an evidence-based approach that focuses on helping clients understand how their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are interconnected to help them work towards their treatment goals. The sessions I provide are supportive and individualized to best fit each client’s individual treatment needs. I believe it is important for clients to feel like they are in a safe and non-judgmental space to process thoughts and feelings.

In addition my treatment also involves therapeutic techniques from person centered therapy, solution focused therapy, and mindfulness skills. These approaches focus on nonjudgmental, strength-focused services that help clients work towards therapeutic goals and manage difficult emotions.

Being a bilingual (Spanish and English) and bicultural therapist allows me to view the world with a different lens which provides me with cultural insight and experience. Starting or returning to therapy can be overwhelming and it takes courage.  I am here to help clients reflect on personal challenges and make positive changes. If you are ready to take that step, I am here to support you. 

If you have additional questions or would like to set up an appointment please contact me at Alejandra@peacefulshoretherapy.com or by calling 704-312-9788.

*Please note email is often the easiest way to reach me.