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Get to Know Me

Life can be beautiful again

when you are brave enough to do the work within.

Therapy is about cultivating your mental health

About Me

Choosing a therapist is a personal decision. Learn more about my educational background and work experience to see if we are a good fit for one another.

Choosing a therapist is a personal decision.

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About

What sets Alyson Marlow apart from other therapists is her incredibly unique variety of work experiences including international social work, juvenile justice, childhood trauma, and service to several different communities: undocumented families, individuals with developmental disabilities, LGBTQIA, and the non-binary community.  Alyson has an ongoing spiritual practice and believes in the importance of continuing to do inner personal work even as a therapist.  She meditates and practices mindfulness regularly.  She has always been a deep thinker even when really young.  This was something that was encouraged by her father and inspired by dinner table conversations with the question “what is the meaning of life?”

 

Her years of service to developing countries has given her extraordinary insight into different cultures and languages.  She takes this wisdom with her in her therapy sessions and has a special ability to connect and communicate with people of many backgrounds.  In Bolivia, she served individuals living in rural underserved areas.  She was a part of the team that facilitated workshops related to health, sanitation, and sex education.  In The Philippines she served as a Peace Corps Volunteer at a correctional facility for youth.  This assignment was near and dear to her as this is the country of her mother’s birth and where she began to learn more about her ancestors.  It was around this time she started to incorporate energy work and alternative medicine into her self care routine.  

 

Alyson has been in the mental health profession for over 12 years.  She is a licensed clinical social worker with a bachelor’s degree in psychology from University of California, Riverside and a master of social work from San Jose State University.  She currently works with OCD, trauma, codependency, substance abuse, anxiety, and depression. She enjoys working with families and offering parent support.

Modalities

Alyson values a strength-based perspective and loves to involve the family when it is needed. She embodies an authentic style of therapy through demonstrating humility and compassion.  She understands that sometimes it takes a village.  She believes in the healing power of community and small acts of kindness.  Modalities often used in her work include but are not limited to: Exposure therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Mindfulness and Meditation, Internal Family Systems, Somatic Therapy, and Motivational Interviewing.  Frameworks frequently used include systems theory, psychodynamic theory, psychosocial development theory, and attachment theory.

Meditating on the Beach

The healing power of community and small acts of kindness. 

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