Marielle Kirstein

M.S., A.M.F.T.

    • Adults 

    • Young Adults

    • Couples

    • Families

    • Couples Therapy

    • Sex and Intimacy

    • Relationships

    • Men’s Issues

    • Life Transitions

    • Reproductive Justice

    • Northwestern University, M.S. Marriage and Family Therapy, 2025

    • Guttmacher Institute, Senior Research Assistant, 2018-2023

    • Colorado Doula Project, Abortion Doula Certification, 2023

    • All-Options, Emotional Support for Abortion Certification, 2022

    • Masakhane Center, Sexuality Educator, 2017

    • Tulane, BA Sociology, 2017

We may be a good fit if you’re…

  • Seeking to strengthen your relationship, feel more connected, improve communication, or enhance intimacy

  • Wanting to gain understanding of how family and relational experiences continue to impact you today, and change patterns that create difficulties

  • Struggling with issues related to masculinity or that may feel unique to being a man in relationships or today’s world

  • Experiencing challenges related to your pregnancy or fertility journey, including needing a safe space to navigate systemic factors

  • Needing support as you move through a significant transition in your life

  • Adapting to a shift in your family, such as adoption, loss, or an empty nest

“we are not going in circles, we are going upwards. the path is a spiral; we have already climbed many steps.” - hermann hesse

Relationships are often the place where our struggles and the patterns we tend to repeat are most evident. And complexity develops when our patterns interact with those of another person. Sometimes we get in touch with our need to change or grow because of events in our interactions with others, and other times we may feel that our growth is limited unless the other person is ready for change too.

Whether you are seeking help for yourself or as part of a partnership, my aim is to help you observe your experiences with curiosity and openness, identify and understand familiar patterns, and move towards greater connection with and acceptance of yourself and others in your life. Patterns can drive our expectations, and our work may involve uncovering your expectations and perhaps even challenging them to make space for new opportunities.

The therapeutic relationship is the foundation for creating a trusted space for centering the nuances of your story, considering how systems play a role in your life, and building on insight and self-awareness to approach experiences with greater flexibility, moving with - and not against - your nature.

My role is to be a supportive, reliable, and reflective collaborator for couples and individuals ready to feel more in the driver’s seat of their reactions and choices. In our work, I will encourage you to slow down, gain a deeper understanding of why you find yourself here again, and perhaps try something new - while leaning into the emotional scaffolding we have built together.

I help couples manage conflict in more productive ways, communicate more effectively, and feel greater empathy for and from their partners. I also help couples and individuals heal from old hurts and trauma that can make it hard to feel trust or escape from static, or even harmful routines.

So often, life’s struggles are isolating, drawing us further into ourselves and away from others. In our work together, I want to help you foster connection and solidarity with others, and experience a greater sense of belonging in your relationships and your life.