Durham, North Carolina919.286.3060

Offering a safe, respectful environment in which to heal and grow.

As a mental health therapist, I believe that people, no matter how hurt or traumatized by life events, possess a powerful inner motivation to work towards healing and growth, much as plants by their nature turn to find the sun. Sometimes my first work with a client is to help him or her strengthen their connection to that motivation. Always, my goal is to assist my clients in keeping their strengths as close to the center of their vision as possible even as they are confronting their pain and disillusionment.

Prospective clients are welcome to meet with me for 20 minutes at no charge in order to learn more about my services. Please call the number above for an appointment.

I work with a diverse range of people and issues, with a special emphasis in the areas detailed below: Stress, Anxiety & Depression, Identity Issues, LGB&T clients, Pregnancy & Birth, Bereavement Counseling, Support for Family & Partners of People with Eating Disorders, and Guided Imagery.

Stress, Anxiety & Depression

In today’s hectic world few of us are exempt from undue stress. Identifying ways to moderate stress – and giving ourselves permission to do so - can serve as powerful tools in lessening vulnerability to anxiety and depression. I often introduce clients with anxiety or depression to Dialectical Behavior Therapy. That’s a fancy name for practical skills that positively affect many aspects of anxiety and depression, as well as strengthening daily stress management. Having been a member of a DBT group myself, I can vouch for its effectiveness in teaching people to draw on their emotions, thoughts, and body senses in new ways. This learning allows clients to respond to life with wisdom and self-acceptance, rather than with the emotional reactivity and self-criticism that so often accompany anxiety and depression.

I also work with individuals and businesses on slowing down from stress and revitalizing through my consulting business Slowlutions™.

Identity Issues

The question of who we are in relation to ourselves, to those we love, and to the outside world is one that accompanies us through life. For some people identity confusion is sparked by educational or career choices, for others by sexuality or gender issues (see below). Questions about identity arise as we work to separate our parents’ voices, which we carry inside, from our own. Relationships are a never-ending gift - and challenge – to identity as we struggle to speak what is really true and to set needed boundaries. I work collaboratively with clients as they uncover and shape who they truly are. Finding the wise voice inside that is our human birthright and learning to listen to it is a difficult but exciting endeavor.

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgendered Clients

I have a keen understanding of challenges faced by LGBT individuals, as well as the strengths that can be developed through living both inside and outside the mainstream. Relationships of LGBT clients share many likenesses to straight relationships, but also pose special challenges in nurturing individual identity while involved with someone of the same gender. For people contemplating a gender change, a sensitive exploration of the issues surrounding personal identity and the need to change is essential, as is support once the decision is made to move forward with this courageous step. Ultimately, my goal with people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgendered is no different than with any other client: to foster a strong sense of self-acceptance and tools for peaceful living.

Pregnancy & Birth

I spent several years studying midwifery and serving as an apprentice midwife for clinic-based and home births in the Southwest so I am able to offer my clients a deep understanding of how bodily changes impact women during pregnancy. Pregnancies are often joyful times but they can also re-stimulate family issues, as well as memories of previous complicated births. Talking things out, as well as the use of guided imagery, can make all the difference during this vulnerable time. I enjoy working with women, their partners, or entire families as the situation requires.

Bereavement Counseling

Drawing on my background as a hospice social worker and coordinator of bereavement counseling, I work with clients experiencing the loss of a loved one, as well as with people who are themselves facing death (often visiting very ill clients at home or in the hospital). Bereavement counseling, which can also be important during divorces, ‘empty nest’ transitions, and other difficult losses, can sometimes make the difference between manageable grief and falling into depression. My goal in bereavement counseling is to provide clients a safe space for expressing their sadness and pain, as well as helping them recognize how the resulting openness and vulnerability offer the opportunity to become aware of desired short- or long-term changes.

Support for Family & Partners of People with Eating Disorders

Individuals close to those with eating disorders can often feel like their lives, too, are being consumed by the disease. Treatment programs for eating disorders provide much-needed family support, but their primary focus is on the individual experiencing the disorder. 'Significant others' struggle with maintaining balance in their own lives, even as they support - often meal by meal - their loved one's recovery from an eating disorder. My goal is to provide a safe space for clients to let down and talk about their experiences. Topics may include feelings of guilt, family dynamics, and stress relief. My clients and I visit - and re-visit - the delicate balance between supporting a person's recovery and accepting that it is only the person with the eating disorder who can decide whether to heal or not.

Guided Imagery

As a mental health therapist, I want to offer vehicles for healing that are not only effective but also suit my clients’ needs & preferences. I have found that it is true, as well, that I am more capable as the teacher of a skill if I enjoy using it, as I do guided imagery. Guided imagery, in which a person relaxes into imagery specific to lessening their distress, has been proven through research as healing for a wide range of challenges. I employ guided imagery for stress reduction, grief, anxiety and depression.

Thank you for visiting my website.

Marian R. Place, MSW, LCSW
Composed Life Services, PLLC
Psychotherapy & Counseling
Durham, North Carolina
919.286.3060

Slowlutions™

Consulting on slowing down from stress to do what revitalizes.