I’m Marcella Hayes, I have over 12 years of experience helping individuals manage stress, burnout, grief and life transitions. I specialize in working with client care professionals in high-stress jobs, such as therapists, medical staff, first responders, and educators, helping them build resilience and find balance. While healthy boundaries and self-care are important, I understand they’re not always enough. I can teach you sustainable and actionable techniques to respond to stress differently, helping to calm your nervous system and create lasting change in how you manage stress.
In our first session, you can expect a warm, welcoming space where we’ll get to know each other. I’ll ask questions to understand what brings you in and what you’re hoping to work on. It’s not about diving into deep issues right away, but rather starting with a conversation that helps me understand your needs and goals. You’ll leave with a better sense of how we can work together to make progress, and we’ll create a plan that feels comfortable for you.
I believe my greatest strengths as a provider are my ability to connect with clients and create a safe, supportive environment where they feel heard and understood. My experience in managing my own challenges allows me to approach therapy with empathy and practical solutions. I’m also skilled in combining evidence-based techniques like CBT, EMDR, and Polyvagal Theory to help clients manage stress, build resilience, and achieve emotional balance. My focus is always on empowering clients to regain control and make meaningful progress in their lives.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) helps you identify and change negative thought patterns, making it easier to manage stress and unhealthy relationship patterns. By teaching new ways to think and cope, CBT reduces anxiety, trauma, compassion fatigue, and burnout, helping you build healthier relationships and improve emotional well-being.
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a highly researched and effective psychotherapy method used to treat trauma and other distressing life experiences by reprocessing difficult memories. EMDR helps reduce the emotional intensity of these memories, allowing you to move past them and gain a healthier perspective on your current life. Some sessions may last up to 90 minutes for deeper healing
Polyvagal Theory explains how our nervous system reacts to stress by shifting between feeling safe and social, fight-or-flight, or shutting down. In therapy, we use this understanding to help you recognize stress and teach techniques to calm your body, restoring balance and control.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) helps people with anxiety by teaching them to stay calm and focused in the moment. It improves communication by showing how to express feelings and set boundaries in a healthy way. DBT also helps manage stress by giving tools to cope with tough situations without using unhealthy habits.