Dr. Becky Marquez PhD, MPH, AMFT
Becoming a Relationship Therapist
After working as a behavioral health counselor in chronic disease prevention and management, I recognized the significant role that interpersonal relationships play in the ability to adopt and maintain health-promoting behaviors. While I was trained in the traditional medical model, which focuses on individual-level change, I observed that even with professional guidance, behavior change was especially difficult when family and friends were not aligned with new changes. Often, individuals reported heightened stress due to increasing interpersonal conflicts as they tried to make changes on their own. These conflicts strained relationships and ultimately, lifestyle changes were not sustained because individuals felt pressure to choose between their personal goals and their relationships. This experience highlighted the need to help individuals and their support networks to communicate effectively and navigate conflict. Motivated by this realization, I decided to expand my scope of practice to include relational health, with the goal of helping individuals and their loved ones work together to overcome these interpersonal challenges.
Professional Therapist Credentials and Training
- Gottman Method Level 2 Trained
- Associate Marriage & Family Therapist
- Gottman Level 2 Trained
- Postpartum Mental Health
- Bilingual (Spanish) Mental Health Counseling
- California Association of Marriage & Family Therapy
Counseling Philosophy
Relationships are essential to our well-being, but they need care and attention to thrive. Building and maintaining these connections takes effort, and they grow stronger when we accept and respond to each other’s emotional vulnerabilities. As a therapist, I facilitate this process through increasing understanding of needs and providing the tools to address them.
My Counseling Style and Strengths
My approach to therapy is shaped by both my personal and professional experiences. As a bilingual Latina, I understand the unique challenges marginalized groups face in accessing and receiving effective mental health support. I recognize the importance of considering culture and life experiences in contributing to identities, relationships, and the sense of vulnerability to judgment and hurt. With this perspective, I view my role in the therapeutic space as a privilege, and I strive to create an environment of respect and openness. As a counselor trained in evidence-based interventions, I am committed to tailoring supported methods to meet your specific goals. This means I remain attentive and responsive, ensuring steady progress toward meeting your needs.
Professional Counseling Background
I have extensive experience supporting individuals and families across the lifespan to promote both mental and physical wellness. I worked with children and adolescents with moderate to severe mental health conditions. A key aspect of my role consisted of engaging parents and family members in treatment to improve family dynamics and coping skills. I also provided care for women experiencing perinatal and postpartum anxiety and mood disorders which included addressing parental adjustment and partner emotional and practical support. Additionally, I gained significant experience in behavioral health counseling for high-risk children and adults through various clinical trials. This work involved helping families set shared lifestyle goals and develop collaborative strategies to achieve them.
Hear From Our Clients
Hear from those who've experienced positive changes through our services.
“Dr. Dana made me feel so seen. I never felt shame for the trauma I’d caused. It was so healthy and helpful to find ways to navigate our conversations.”
“Thank you so much! It exceeded my expectations. You made me feel comfortable and supported.”
“I learned I need to take a 20 minute break when flooded, ask for clarity in facial expressions, use gentle startup and take ownership even if its small.”
“Gave me many tools and insights, I’m excited to implement them.”
“I couldn’t have had a better experience. Dana is so caring and smart and easily helped us navigate through our issues.”
“I learned that I need to ask for my needs and also take a break when I feel flooded.”
“I had an excellent experience, it helped me get clarity and learn valuable tools.”
“Dana was really effective at explaining the research, helping facilitate the conversation with figuring out how to address our biggest challenges.”
“Really pleased with the experience. Absolutely exceeded my expectations.”
“This helped lower the walls in our relationship.”
“Dana is superb, gracious, and kind. We’re very grateful.”
“I gained the clarity I was looking for!”
“Grateful to our extended therapist and her extended time! And of course, her dog!”
“The intensive process and longer sessions are incredibly helpful to push things further and get real work done.”
“The three-day package was necessary to enable the “emotional stretch” and that’s when we saw the best results.”
“This was a much needed intense session but helped promote healing and focus to decide where we go in life together.”
“This was well worth it and I’d definitely do it again!”
“This helped us sit and have uncomfortable conversations that were long overdue.”
“Exhausting but I loved everything about this!”
“This helped us have epiphanies and transformative thoughts.”
“Thank you so much for taking the time to really understand our issues and providing us with all the tools to use when future issues arise.”
“I feel like we have made huge progress on major issues with these three days.”
“Everything made me feel safe and comfortable here.”
“Therapist is great at listening and helping us with communication.”
“Absolutely, it was better than I expected and gave us great tools.”
“Empathetic and responsive.”
“Very accommodative and understanding.”
“I definitely feel Therapy Getaway helped with our relationship goals because it allowed a deeper dive in a structured fashion, with tools to continue improving our relationship.”
“Great session. They know their stuff and is really good at helping us find the language to effectively communicate.”
“They were incredibly instrumental in relating all the tools that my partner and I needed in areas where we struggle.”
“Therapy Getaway absolutely helped our relationship. They were amazing.”
“This was a very beneficial process. Dana made it easy for us to open up about every difficult issue we had been struggling with. We now have good tools.”
“It seemed at first that 2.5 days was long, but it feels so good to be in therapy that I wish it was 3-5 days!”
“Therapy Getaway immensely helped us talk about our problems in a safe place.”
“Dana is very experienced and sensitive to peoples situations and knows how to make you feel comfortable as if you were in your own home.”
“Learned a lot of coping tools. Dana was wonderful.”
