Marena Passarelli, LPC
She/her

Independent Practitioner

Licensed Professional Counselor

Marena is a Licensed Professional Counselor in Oregon, and a Licensed Mental Health Counselor in Washington. Marena completed her Bachelor’s degree in psychology from Portland State University, and then completed her Master’s degree in Counseling Psychology at Palo Alto University. Through her education and beyond, Marena has worked in eating disorder residential, partial hospitalization, intensive outpatient, and outpatient levels of care.

Marena highly values honoring each person’s journey and story while providing services to individuals struggling with eating disorders, body dysmorphia, anxiety, trauma, new and/or stressful transitions, and adversity. She also works with clients struggling with a sense of self/identity, difficulty communicating, and lack of connection. Marena’s work stems from the belief that a fully recovered life from an eating disorder is possible for any individual through exploration, personal narratives, and strengthening a sense of worthiness and self-compassion. It is also her belief that these same ways support clients struggling with body image, anxiety, relationships, emotion regulation, and so much more.

Marena’s clinical approach focuses on fostering healing through authenticity, building connection, and shame resilience; and specifically works through the feminist theory lens. Self-compassion, self-worth, radical acceptance, and mindfulness are core components to Marena’s approach, while also incorporating evidence-based practices such as DBT, CBT, and Psychodynamic Therapy.

Marena was born and raised in Portland, OR. She enjoys traveling, cooking/baking, reading, yoga, jogging, hiking, and spending time with her cat.