The Face Behind
The Catholic Psychologist
Dr. Marinés Novoa
I’m The Catholic Psychologist, a licensed Clinical Psychologist based in the San Francisco - Bay Area, California. As stated on the homepage, I started the Catholic Psychologist with the hopes of bridging the gap between faith and mental health. There's no reason they have to exist separately, especially when *together* they can be so powerful in our journey toward healing.
I was born and raised Catholic, or "cradle Catholic" as most of us call it. Through my faith, I discerned my vocation and calling towards counseling. Initially, I had my heart set on a different area in the psychology field, but God had different plans for me. My heart was first set on focusing on Autism and supporting the Latino community, which I did complete my dissertation on. However, as I started my graduate school program, and was placed in different internship opportunities, God prepared me for more than I had planned. I still was called to serve my community, which I am blessed to do because if you are at all familiar with our field, you know it can be really hard to find a Spanish-speaking therapist. However, my focus has shifted to different areas including healing from trauma, family work and now bringing faith and mental health together. I never imagined doing the work that I do today, but again, I am so blessed to be able to be on this journey.
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Throughout my career, I have seen time and time again how faith and mental health are kept separate, yet for many clients that I have worked with, faith is so important to their everyday life. Through prayer and further discernment, I have decided to more openly incorporate faith into my work and in doing so, I can definitely say I have seen God's work in the healing process. In researching faith and mental health, I have come across the difficulty in finding a Catholic therapist, which I am sure can be frustrating for a person trying to find the right match for their therapeutic work.
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My aim for this site is to provide educational resources in regards to faith and mental health. Resources will vary from family life, to mental health diagnoses and faith based resources (as they relate to our mental health). I am still practicing in the field and if you wish to contact me for a free 30 minute consultation, you can click on the "Contact" tab or visit my PsychologyToday website here. Please visit the "Services" page to read a summary of services I do offer.
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Thank you for taking the time to visit my website. I pray you have a blessed day and that the Lord continue to provide in ways that you need.