Marina Masaki, couples therapist and sex therapist in Seattle

Marina Masaki

LMFTA

I blend my data science background with couples/relational therapy to identify underlying patterns in your relationships and explore new ways of being.

My specializations are: identity exploration, multicultural relationships, relationship strengthening, desire discrepancy, polyamory/ENM, anxiety/depression, and working through career stress.

I am a trained 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

As a woman of color and child of immigrants, I support individuals and families in understanding their experiences within broader systems like families, intimate partnerships, workplace, and society at large. My journey has taken me from analyzing Google’s user 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. The 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 Resilient Hearts Animal Sanctuary. My first visit to the 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)

  • 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

  • ADHD

  • Anxiety

  • Career challenges in the STEM field (burnout, promo, stress)

  • Depression

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

  • Immigration & acculturation

  • Intergenerational family dynamics

  • Relationship issues (communication, conflict resolution, multicultural relationships)

  • Sex therapy (low desire, desire discrepancy, kink, out-of-control sexual behavior, shame, polyamory/ENM)

Supervised by Anne Mauro, LMFT, DHS, CSE, CST-S

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

  • 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