Liaison.
I understand that many people that you may talk to about sexual trauma or intimacy concerns only feel comfortable in that conversation to a point. And that point is reached pretty quickly. Once one crosses the threshold of details of the lived experience, it can get convoluted. Some people in our support system exit stage left either physically or emotionally. Not because they do not care, but because it may be too difficult of a conversation for them to have.
That leaves a void for sexual trauma survivors & people facing intimacy concerns that seek sex therapy (talk therapy). I wanted to fill that void the best way that I could. Hence, I created Liaison.
I believe that you deserve a liaison that can listen without imposing their own values, be open to understand and non-judgmentally dwell in that moment with all of those shades of gray with a psychological perspective..
My name is Genevieve Marcel and I am an Existential Psychosexual Therapist & Board Certified Sexologist. Like every therapist that I have ever met, my journey with psychology began with a desire to better understand myself and move closer to self-mastery.
After working in medical research and sales for nearly a decade, I spent the next decade in a career that allowed me to be myself. I became a Spencerian lettering & engraving artist and still love & enjoy that business to this day.
One day life happened… again.
My profound interest in psychology and sexology beckoned. I made the decision to go back to school for a Masters in Clinical Psychology at Pepperdine University and am currently pursuing a Doctorate in Clinical Sexology. While providing trauma therapy to clients at FamilyTime Counseling & Crisis Center during my intern year, I realized that many people feel challenged with self-acceptance, authenticity & freedom in their lives. This difficulty naturally extends to intimate relationships. That challenge becomes even more pronounced if there is sexual trauma in the background.
We often have experiences that cause us to evaluate the differential between who we are on the surface and who we are authentically. Such is the meaning of life. The meaning of life is not some airy-fairy, mystical concept. The meaning of our lives is what we create it to be. Since we create our life’s meaning, that freedom and corresponding responsibility can create an existential crisis. It’s like having so many options on the menu that making a decision is stressful. Except the items on the menu are components & decisions of your life.
“Existence precedes essence.”
That pithy statement implies that other things are “born” with a purpose whereas humans are born first and then their essence (purpose and meaning) must be defined over time. The difficulty is that more often than not, our purpose becomes designed by others (parents, societal expectation, financial need) and who we really are is often beaten into submission. Needless to say, that can create existential anxiety coupled with internal, subdued resentment. That alone can create relationship issues and frustration. If you layer that with emotional or sexual trauma, life just got more complicated.
Existential psychology understands that there are basic “givens” in life that can create anxiety. The need for meaningfulness, fear of isolation, freedom (and its corresponding responsibility) and fear of our own mortality. We human beings will go to extreme lengths to avoid these realities. However, by that avoidance, we never really face those challenges directly and they begin to direct our lives and actions without us realizing it.
At Liaison., we face the uncomfortable realities to navigate through them. Interestingly, by facing these fears and concerns, we can become master of them in our lives.
“Real freedom is the ability to pause between stimulus and response, and in that pause, choose.”
I believe that even in the face of atrocious circumstances, we have a choice in how we proceed. That is one right that no-one can take away from us. In therapy sessions, we collaborate on navigating these life issues in a way that is most authentic for you.
You become your own liaison of empowerment
Specializing in Sex Therapy, Sexual Trauma Therapy & Anxiety Therapy
Serving Houston, Austin, San Antonio, El Paso and Dallas Texas