"You will love again the stranger who was yourself."

- Derek Walcott

Mara Gutierrez
ABOUT ME

Mara Gutiérrez, LICSW

I am a licensed psychotherapist serving clients in DC and Maryland, through virtual therapy sessions. I enjoy working with highly sensitive young adults exploring themes of love, belonging, and purpose as part of their healing journey. My frameworks and style of therapy tend to attract BIPOC, immigrant/first gen folks, and activists wanting to also explore the impact of the identities they hold and the systems they navigate.

My specialties include childhood and generational trauma, burnout, intimacy and relationships. My therapeutic approach is influenced by the work of Ignacio Martin-Baro, Kimberlé Crenshaw, Gabor Mate, Tara Brach, Richard Schwartz, and the wisdom of the Indigenous communities of the Amazon basin, among many others. I founded The Healing Exhale with the hope of expanding the typical ways to practice psychotherapy into a space that is inclusive of a variety of healing and wellness modalities. 

 

formal education
    • Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker (LICSW)
      • 3000+ hrs of supervised clinical experience
      • Washington DC, 2020
      • License: LC50082582
    • Licensed Graduate Social Worker (LGSW)
      • Washington DC, 2017
    • Master in Clinical Social Work (MSW)
      • Miami FL, 2016
    • Bachelor of Arts in Psychology (BA)
      • Miami FL, 2012

 

further training
    • IFS – Level 2 Practitioner, IFS Institute, 2022
      • Trainers: Tamala Floyd and Chris Burris
    • MDMA Therapy Training – Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS), 2021
      • Trainers: Marcela Ot’alora G. MA LPC, Bruce Poulter MPH, Keren Tzarfaty PhD MFT, and Ido Siemion PhD
    • IFS – Level 1 Practitioner, IFS Institute, 2020
      • Trainer: Chris Burris
    • Internal Family Systems – Clinical Applications, 2019
      • Trainer: Frank Anderson
    • Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction, 2019
      • Trainer: Elana Rosenbaum
    • Breathwork Healer Training – Level 1, 2019
      • Trainer: Erin Telford
    • Jungian Sandtray Therapy , 2018
      • Trainer: Eliana Gil