When Parents Flourish, Communities Thrive.

Marrisa Howard

My name is Marissa Howard.  I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker by training. I'm also a Mom of two boys, an extrovert, and a lover of lifting heavy things. Since becoming a Mom, I've learned that I'm easily overstimulated by sounds and that tolerating my kids' distress is way harder than I'd expected it to be. I've also been reminded that by-the-water is always the most calming place for me to be, and embroidery gives me the sense of completed-project mastery that we all crave. Being a mom has been simultaneously magical and exhausting.

 I think in some ways, parenting has always been that way. In other ways, it's become much harder. The expectations of parents today are untenable and unsustainable. I'm on a mission to help change that - one parent, one workshop, one community at a time.
Ultimately, the test will be in how you experience me when we meet.
Being a 'helper' comes naturally to me. Even when I was very young, I was told that I was warm, genuine, and somehow seemed to know the right thing to say to help people feel good about themselves. Before I thought about pursuing a career that built on those traits, I wanted to be a singer and casting director. I began singing ('belting' actually) and performing in musical theater in elementary school. But in my junior year, I developed the croup and lost my voice for a month. I figured I better come up with an alternate plan. I replaced the list of musical theatre schools I'd hung on the fridge with a list of schools with great psychology and human services programs and I've never looked back.

I attended Elon University, earning a bachelor's degree in Human Services and Psychology. I subsequently earned a Masters in Clinical Social Work at the University of Chicago and completed an internship at Children's Memorial Hospital (now Ann H Lurie). For the twelve years before founding Flourish, I worked as a therapist, teacher, administrator, researcher, and Faculty Member at Duke University Medical Center in the Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences. I am enormously privileged to have had incredible training and mentors every step of the way.

At Flourish, I use contemporary, evidence-based treatments including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) skills, and Internal Family Systems (IFS) to help clients with life challenges including anxiety, depression, life transitions, OCD, perfectionism, maternal and perinatal mental health.
 
Additionally, I have a passion for helping the family members and loved ones of individuals who have difficulty with emotion regulation.
As Flourish continues to grow, I spend less time with patients and more time caring for our employees and navigating the administrative side of health care. That said, I believe it is essential for “clinical administrators” to also be clinicians in order to be effective. I also still love doing clinical work and care deeply about my patients. So, I will always see some clients. If you think I’d be the right fit for your care, let us know and we can let you know about my availability. I would consider it an honor if you would entrust me with your story and allow me to join you on your journey towards healing and wellness.

Paul Geiger

I’m Paul Geiger, a psychologist, researcher, spouse, and father of two. Parenting has shaped me in ways I never expected—it’s joyful, demanding, grounding, and disorienting all at once. I’ve wrestled with what it means to be more than just “Dad,” even as that role remains one of the most important parts of my life. While running what I call the Geiger Taxi Service—shuttling my kids from school to hockey to gymnastics to birthday parties—I've found some of my favorite moments with them in the car, connecting through music and conversation. And there are plenty of days when it's the opposite: chaotic, loud, rushed, and nowhere near the version of parenting I imagined. Both are real, and both have shaped how I show up as a dad. Bottom line: parenting is hard. My work is dedicated to helping parents find steadiness, connection, and confidence in the messy reality of raising kids today.
I embrace the philosophy of being radically genuine in session—I am my authentic self—there isn’t a “therapist” Paul and a “real world” Paul. I am a human being, just like everyone else, who has additional training in some pretty cool therapeutic tools backed by science to help people overcome barriers and live the life they want to be living. I strive to collaborate with you in order to identify the things you want to change, and work together to meet goals that are meaningful to you.