About

Let’s journey towards healing, fulfillment, and vitality.

About

Let’s journey towards healing, fulfillment, and vitality.

A little about Marie Lanier and her IFS Coaching Journey…

​As a child growing up in New York City’s Greenwich Village, I yearned to care for and help others, yet my journey of self-discovery had just begun. My childhood and young adult life brought challenges and trauma, and thankfully along the way I was blessed by helpers, healers, therapists, and other supportive individuals who propelled me into a mindset focused on self-improvement. 

Even so, as I matured, I was too often in survival mode, trying to tamp down uncomfortable thoughts and emotions. Some of these efforts were less than fruitful as I turned to substances, for example, to cool the inner demons that plagued me. Although destructive, this segment of my life turned out to be a gift, as my struggle with substances lead me to invite in a spiritual life that supports me to this day.

Spirituality

I am often impressed to see in both myself and those I work with how grounding and motivating having the support of spiritual beliefs and practices can be. My spirituality weaves together a variety of beliefs I have been exposed to including those from Buddhism, Hinduism, and Paganism. For example, I turn to White Tara for her compassion and protection as well as my ancestors (furry friends included) from other lives as well as this one.

My Introduction to Internal Family Systems (IFS)

In early adulthood, I began seeing a psychotherapist who used IFS to help treat lingering anxiety and depression. I remember being of the belief that I was “pretty much ok” but looking back now, my life was small and isolated, and I often turned to means other than substances to numb such as food and binging TV. I was on high alert for “what ifs”, but typical therapy wasn’t making much of a difference. My first session of IFS catapulted me into a deeper understanding of and connection with parts of me who were suffering. With the help of my therapist, I was able to address some of these parts and help them heal. I learned that through Internal Family Systems (IFS) we engage in a therapeutic process whereby we can learn to increase self-acceptance, inspiration, and fulfillment by delving into our rich inner life removing obstacles to intuition, compassion, creativity, and calm. 

Blonde woman (Marie Lanier), sitting on a couch with a dog. She is warm and welcoming.

Career and Education

With the gifts provided to me both by spirituality and IFS I was newly able to pursue my life’s purpose, to aid other’s growth and healing. I completed a master’s degree in social work at Fordham University, began working as an outpatient therapist in Plymouth, MA and became trained in IFS myself so I could use this modality that had helped me so much with others. 

A move to the idyllic and rural northwest Connecticut lead me to then work in various capacities at a Residential Treatment Facility for substance dependence treatment where I started out as a substance dependence counselor. I progressed into more administrative work; first as a program management specialist, then working with executives on special projects.  These positions afforded me with both clinical knowledge as well as an understanding of organizational and corporate psychology, wisdom that would aid me in my future work with clients. When the world went into lockdown due to COVID and brought with is challenges and changes, I was again inspired to gain clarity into what my true calling was. I realized I am a healer at my core and wanted to return to my roots of directly working with others and opened a private psychotherapy practice in the Berkshires of Massachusetts. 

Re-entering the world of healing others primarily with the use of IFS. I saw transformation, relief, and shifts in those I worked with which reaffirmed my belief that we are all on a path of growth and transformation that can be accelerated via increased access to inner resources. A move cross country from Massachusetts to San Francisco, California again led me to pause to listen more deeply to how I could be of service to others and I decided to switch course from psychotherapist to life coach. The tools I used as clinician would again provide support for others within a more flexible model.

I continue my journey of self-discovery and learning new modalities to support others on their paths and invite you to experience what I offer. An inspiring internal exploration guided by care, compassion, hope, and unwavering knowing that we all possess the tools we need to heal.

In my spare time I enjoy yoga, meditation, crafting, collecting vintage items, seeing performing arts and spending time with the furry member of my family, Winifred a Persian cat.

Education and Recent Trainings

  • Bachelor’s degree majoring in Psychology - Earlham College

  • Master’s degree in Clinical Social Work – Fordham University

  • Internal Family Systems Level One

  • Trauma Training with Dr. Bessel van der Kolk – Experiencing the Body Keeps the Score

  • Transgender & Gender Non-Binary (TGNB) Clients: Clinical Issues and Treatment Strategies

  • Gender Identity and the Transgender Community

  • Intensive Training for LGBTQi+ and Addiction Issues

  • Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy: Principles and Practice

  • Intermediate Workshop on Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy: Clinical Issues

  • The Brief Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (BCBT) Model

  • Training and Education in Sexual and Domestic Violence

  • Energy Medicine for Self-Healing

  • The Psychology of the Chakras

  • Befriending Difficult Protectors

  • Healing Through Generations: Ancient Wisdom, Ancestral Healing and IFS Therapy in Treating Intergenerational Trauma

  • Daily Parts Meditation Practice For IFS Therapy Clients

  • Healing Wisdom For Modern Times: You Are Your Greatest Healer

Past Professional Experience

  • 2020–2023: Wellspace – Owner of private psychotherapy practice

  • 2012–2020: Mountainside – Roles ranging from clinician, program development specialist, client rights officer, to manager of executive projects

  • 2009–2012: South Bay Mental Health – Therapist and Clinical Supervisor

“A flower must bloom inside first before revealing its beauty to the world.”

―Matshona Dhliwayo

Join me in a collaborative journey towards feeling fulfilled, expansive, and excited about life.