You don’t have to navigate healing alone.
Wayfinder Wellbeing Counseling provides therapy for adults navigating trauma, anxiety, relationships, and major life transitions in San Diego and throughout California via telehealth.
Marisa Dao, LPCC #22478
I am a Filipina EMDR trained Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor, based in California offering virtual and in-person individual therapy in San Diego, CA for adults navigating complex trauma, anxiety and mood disorders.
What We Offer
Individual Therapy
Individual therapy is a collaborative one-on-one process focused on increasing self-awareness, improving emotional regulation and distress tolerance skills, and developing effective coping strategies.
Sessions are tailored to your goals and paced intentionally.
EMDR Therapy
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is an evidenced-based therapy designed to help people recover from trauma/PTSD, as well as anxiety, depression, and addiction.
EMDR uses guided "bilateral stimulation"—such as side-to-side eye movements—to help the brain safely reprocess traumatic memories, reducing their emotional intensity and vividness.
Group Therapy
Healing in community allows clients a brave space to share experiences, build coping skills, and receive support from others going through similar experiences.
You may be here because…
Your past experiences continue to shape your relationships, confidence, and sense of self.
You overthink interactions, worry about disappointing others, and often second-guess yourself.
You feel pulled between cultures, identities, or family expectations and struggle to feel fully at home in who you are.
You understand your patterns intellectually, but find yourself repeating them despite your awareness.
You learned to stay safe by being agreeable, accommodating, independent, or by putting others' needs before your own.
You feel responsible for other people's emotions and find it difficult to set boundaries without guilt.
You appear successful on the outside but struggle with perfectionism, imposter syndrome, or a persistent inner critic.
You long to feel worthy of care and acceptance without having to earn it.
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I see therapy as a collaborative process. You bring your lived experience, values, and goals. I will bring clinical expertise. I’ll be curious and ask questions. I may pick up on patterns you haven’t noticed yet. I’ll celebrate your wins (even the tiny ones that don’t feel exciting yet), and I’ll challenge you (compassionately, of course).
My hope is that you leave sessions feeling like we made progress, not because everything is magically fixed, but because you understand yourself a little better. Maybe you noticed a pattern, practiced a new skill, felt more connected to your needs, or had a moment of “oh, that makes sense.” Those small shifts are often where meaningful change begins.
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I recognize that healing is shaped by the intersection of your identities, relationships, lived experiences, and environments. I approach therapy with an awareness of how intersecting systems of oppression and privilege—including racism, colonization, capitalism, ableism, patriarchy, fatphobia, heterosexism, transphobia, classism, and other forms of structural violence—can shape mental health, relationships, and access to healing.
My primary therapeutic approach is Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), which helps process distressing experiences and reduce the lasting impact of trauma. I also integrate Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) skills to support emotional regulation, mindfulness, distress tolerance, and interpersonal effectiveness skills.
Together, we'll explore the patterns that once helped you survive, strengthen your relationship with yourself and others, and create lasting change that moves toward a life where you are thriving instead of surviving.
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Individuals, with an emphasis on AANHPI/BIPOC, whose cultural, racial, ethnic, religious, LGBTQIA+, socioeconomic, immigration or other identities shape their experiences of identity, belonging, and emotional wellbeing
Survivors of childhood abuse, sexual abuse, intimate partner violence, or other adverse life experiences
First responders, healthcare professionals, veterans, and active-duty military members, along with their loved ones, who navigate the unique challenges these careers can bring
Frequently Asked Questions
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We currently accept Cigna and Aetna insurance, and can provide a superbill for potential out-of-pocket reimbursement.
Our session fee for an individual therapy session is $185. We have reduced rate slots for those in need, please reach out to discuss more.
Wayfinder Wellbeing Counseling believes financial transparency is an important part of beginning therapy. You will have the opportunity to review fees, insurance benefits, and out-of-pocket costs before scheduling your appointments.
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We offer in-person therapy on Wednesdays and Thursdays in North Park, San Diego.
Please note that our office is located on the second floor and is accessible only by stairs. We do not have a wheelchair ramp or an elevator. Additionally, our office features a single-user, all-gender restroom.
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We offer virtual therapy sessions through a HIPAA-compliant platform, which is easily accessible from a computer, phone or tablet.
Clients must be in California during the therapy session.
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You have the right to receive a “Good Faith Estimate” explaining how much your medical and mental health care will cost. Under the law, health care providers need to give patients who don’t have insurance or who are not using insurance an estimate of the expected charges for medical services, including psychotherapy services. You have the right to receive a Good Faith Estimate for the total expected cost of any non-emergency healthcare services, including psychotherapy services. You can ask your health care provider, and any other provider you choose, for a Good Faith Estimate before you schedule a service. If you receive a bill that is at least $400 more than your Good Faith Estimate, you can dispute the bill. Make sure to save a copy or picture of your Good Faith Estimate. For questions or more information about your right to a Good Faith Estimate, visit www.cms.gov/nosurprises.
In-Person in North Park, San Diego
Virtual from anywhere in California
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