Marisa de Sa, LMSW, is a psychotherapist at CBCC specializing in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Dialectical Behavior Therapy.  Mrs. de Sa has training and experience implementing a variety of evidence-based interventions with young children, adolescents, adults, and families in a variety of settings.  After earning her Bachelors Degree in psychology from the University of Albany, Mrs. de Sa went on to graduate with honors with her Masters of Social Work from Fordham University in New York City.  She maintains her license in both Connecticut and New York. 

During her training and over the past decade post-graduation, Mrs. de Sa has developed a well-rounded and deep understanding of her clients, having worked in school, home-based, hospital, and outpatient settings.  Her internship at University Settlement in NYC and first position out of graduate school at Bellevue Hospital provided her with extensive experience providing both short- and long-term therapy for complex cases with children and adults, respectively, utilizing a number of treatment modalities including but not limited to: CBT, DBT, Narrative Therapy, psychodynamic models, Trauma-Informed Care, and Crisis Intervention.  She went on to get specialized training in Applied Behavioral Analysis and has employed these skills when working with parents and younger populations to promote positive behaviors, increase communication skills, and enhance learning and academic skills.  Mrs. de Sa has provided therapeutic interventions with adolescents in both hospital and school settings, including teens coping with chronic illness, implementing various mindfulness and DBT-based interventions aimed at bolstering teens’ coping skills, resilience, and anger management skills. 

Mrs. de Sa has a particular passion and area of interest in anxiety, depression, trauma, coping with chronic illnesses, stress management and mindfulness.  She is a strong believer, and has ample evidence, that breaking old, ingrained patterns of automatic thinking and addressing self-limiting beliefs in order to make values-based behavioral change can significantly improve the quality of life for her clients and help them become the best versions of themselves, even in the most difficult of life circumstances.