Marina Masaki, couples therapist and sex therapist in Seattle

Marina Masaki

LMFTA

I blend my data science background with relationship therapy to help clients identify underlying patterns in their relationships and careers.

My specializations are: relationship strengthening, improving communication and conflict resolution, rebuilding trust and connection, navigating sexual/intimacy issues, discernment counseling, pre-marital counseling, and career stress in tech.

I am a certified Discernment Counselor, helping couples on the brink make clear decisions about the future of their relationships.

My approach to therapy is intersectional, collaborative, strengths-based, and anti-oppressive. I create a supportive environment, offering a kink-informed, poly-friendly, and trauma-informed perspective.

About Marina

I am a woman of color and a child of immigrants. My passion is supporting individuals and families in understanding their experiences within broader systems like families, intimate partnerships, workplaces, and society at large. After a decade in the data science field, I left Google to pursue my true calling. My journey has taken me from analyzing app usage patterns to analyzing patterns in how we connect, love, and grow. Working with me will be unique because of my personal understanding and professional insight.

I’m a California native from Orange County who has lived on both coasts—spending time in the San Francisco Bay Area and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. My experience living in these areas has shaped my perspective and professional approach.

Outside of the therapy office, you'll find me fostering dogs and volunteering at rescues. My first visit to an animal sanctuary led to my first fostering experience, which led to the adoption of my chihuahua mix, Cooper!

Therapy with Marina

My approach to therapy is intersectional, collaborative, strengths-based, and anti-oppressive. I create a supportive environment, offering a kink-informed, poly-friendly, and trauma-informed perspective. I tailor my approach to the needs of my clients, blending a number of research-backed modalities:

  • Attachment Based Therapy

  • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

  • Developmental Model of Couples Therapy

  • Emotionally Focused Therapy

  • Gottman Couples Therapy

  • Internal Family Systems (also known as “parts work” or “inner child work”)

  • Mindfulness

  • Solution Focused Brief Therapy

Specializations and Interests

  • Career stress in tech (burnout, promo, stress)

  • Discernment Counseling (decision-making around whether to break up, work on the relationship, or decide later)

  • Immigration & acculturation

  • Intergenerational family dynamics

  • Premarital counseling

  • Relationship strengthening (improving communication, conflict resolution, rebuilding trust and connection, multicultural relationships)

  • Sex therapy (low desire, desire discrepancy, kink, out-of-control sexual behavior, shame, consensual non-monogamy)

Supervised by: Claudia Johnson, LMFT, CST, ABS, Anne Mauro, LMFT, DHS, CSE, CST-S, and Fiona O’Farrell, PhD, LMFT

Professional History

Education

  • M.A. Couple & Family Therapy, Antioch University Seattle

  • M.S. Statistical Practice, Carnegie Mellon University

  • B.S. Applied Mathematics, UC Irvine

Trainings

  • Developmental Model, Couples Institute, In progress

  • Discernment Counseling Training, Doherty Institute, 2024

  • Neurodiversity in Family Therapy, 2024

  • Trauma, Disaster, and Crisis, 2023

  • Sex Therapy Certificate, Antioch University Seattle, 2023

  • Neurobiology of Trauma, 2023

  • Gottman Couples Therapy Level 1, 2023

  • Working with Trans Clients, 2023

  • Perinatal Mental Health, 2023

  • Treating Out of Control Sexual Behavior, 2023

  • Domestic Violence Counselor Training (English & Japanese), Asian Women’s Shelter, 2021

Professional Affiliations

  • Washington Association of Marriage and Family Therapy (WAMFT), board member (2023)

  • American Association of Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT)

  • American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors, and Therapists (AASECT)

Awards & Recognition

  • AAMFT Diversity Scholarship for Emerging Leaders

  • WAMFT Student of the Year

  • Antioch University Seattle, Common Thread article