Marlena Wilson (pronouns: they/them) is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist who has been practicing in the mental health field actively since 2013. Marlena is a North Carolina native who made their way to Tennessee in pursuit of creating a safe and empowering space for marginalized communities in the south through therapy. Marlena has enjoyed being a part of the healing process for individuals and families from all walks of life but is MOST passionate about serving racial/ethnic minorities, LGBTQIAP*+, and neurodivergent/disabled communities.
As a black, queer, nonbinary therapist they want to do their best to aid in the empowerment, care, and liberation of all underserved populations. Marlena has experience working with children as young as six, adults as young as 99, as well as couples and families. Over the years Marlena has built their experience working with children in foster care, teaching parenting classes, school based therapy, groups, substance use, military, as well as inpatient and outpatient settings. Marlena has worked in a clinic setting with a specialization in serving transgender and gender-diverse clients. Marlena’s therapeutic approach is EMDR informed, somatic experiencing informed, while utilizing elements of CBT, ACT, expressive arts, and narrative therapy from a multicultural/intersectional lens. Trauma is mostly healed through creating healthy relationships and Marlena is dedicated to being part of every clients quest for wholeness.
When they are not working you can find Marlena playing video games (even though they are a beginner), being immersed in media/tv/books, eating good food, and finding the nearest cat or dog to pet.