Holistic Counselor in santa barbara + across Ca & mi

about mari fullmer, lmft

Ready to stop feeling out of control and start trusting yourself again?

You’ve been trying so hard to make everyone happy, to keep up in life, and to somehow feel better than you do and nothing seems to be sticking. You’re still feeling anxious, depleted, overwhelmed, unfulfilled, and out of control and you don’t know if you can keep up the facade anymore. You’re realizing this may be bigger than you can figure out alone.

There is a way to feel better, to build confidence, and to feel connected and empowered in your life again. 

I work with clients who are looking for a way out of the constant struggle of feeling out of control with emotions, growing self doubt, and whose lives are feeling stressful and unsatisfying.

You may consider yourself highly sensitive and feel like life affects you differently than others. You may be interested in the deeper meaning of life or just have a sense that life has more to offer. And you’re right! You don’t have to keep feeling like this.

Clients work with me because they are ready to feel better and are willing to try new things to get there. Together we will explore the Yes, AND of life. The ways that difficult life experiences, perhaps even traumas, fuel the way we react (and overreact) to experiences in the present. We will connect your experience in both mind and body for true healing. We can’t just think ourselves out of pain.

We’ll explore how our challenges impact our life AND create some of our greatest strengths as well. Our challenges are not the end of the story!

I have been working in mental health since 2004 and have helped MANY adults and young adults feel more confident in themselves and in their lives.

I use a range of methods to achieve change; therapy is unique to each client. What is consistent is my care and commitment to your success and well-being as well as my willingness to join you on your journey and hold the beacon of light and hope that things can be better. They can and they will.

How I work

Let me help you find deeper understanding and create meaningful change.

You’ve been trying hard to find ways to feel better, and perhaps you’ve even tried therapy before. Let’s make a fresh start, a brave step toward wellness.

I offer a fresh perspective: a holistic view of you, your strengths, what you value, and your bigger life purpose, and will help you find the path toward your greater well-being. It’s already inside of you! Traditional therapy can miss this connection; the idea that you’re already whole and hold the answers you need. We can restore your intuition and inner knowing and help you move forward with confidence.

Life stresses and difficult experiences often take us away from living and acting from our best self. I can help you reconnect to your TRUE self. Your most authentic you. 

We will use embodied practices that align you in mind and body to gain insight and restore this connection and you will be supported with deep compassion along the way.

You are worth the investment.

Therapy with me is about …

  • I create a safe, non-judgmental space for openness, exploration,  healing, and transformation. Our relationship is the foundation for growth and change.

  • Yours, and mine too! We will work toward deep understanding and transformation for you. Also I am an avid learner and go way beyond my basic continuing education requirements. We will keep growing together!

  • Each client is unique, therefore therapy is individualized to the person including finding your pace, needs, values, and goals. Each session will vary and there is no one right path.

  • You are more than your struggles and have great wisdom about your well-being. You are your own expert! I am here to offer guidance and our work will be a collaboration. We will work to reconnect to your true self.

  • Change does not happen in the mind alone. We will incorporate the body and nervous system to promote deeper understanding and healing.

  • I want to arm you with skills to find relief in the tough moments and to help you feel empowered in your ability to care for yourself beyond therapy.

I will share my humanness, and you can know that I know what it’s like to struggle and be in pain. I get how hard it can be, and know that we can’t do it alone. With the greatest compassion and affection for you and your journey, I will walk alongside you as your witness, and to offer guidance, perspective, support, and tools along the way. The most profound change happens in connection.

I too have faced challenges of trauma, limiting beliefs, and sensitivity and have worked hard to reconnect to my true self, that’s way beyond my “story” or struggles.  I see this as part of the spiritual journey of being a human. And I now consider my sensitivity one of my greatest strengths and something I truly value about myself. I won’t let my story interfere with your time and discovery.

I love helping clients move from pain to purpose. The pain we endure is not the end of the story!

specializing in:

Therapy for Anxiety + Depression

Therapy for Self-Esteem

Therapy for Relationship Issues

clients describe me as ….

  • Relatable and easy to talk to

  • Insightful and intuitive

  • Accepting and compassionate

  • Funny, inspiring, and genuine

  • Caring, but also clear and direct

  • Able to sit with you in the painful parts

  • Invested in you and eager to celebrate your wins

My Training & Education

    • Eye-Movement Desensitization & Reprocessing (EMDR)

    • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

    • Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT)

    • Internal Family Systems (IFS)

    • Attachment Focused

    • Somatic Experiencing (SE)

    • Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT)

    • Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist in CA #83237

    • Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist in MI #4101007458

    • Masters in Clinical Psychology, Santa Barbara Graduate Institute

    • Bachelor of Science, Michigan State University

    • EMDR - working toward certification

    • Certified Nutrition & Integrative Medicine for Mental Health Professionals

    • Certified Health Coach, Institute for Integrative Nutrition

    • Reiki - Level 1 & 2

    • EMDRIA, 2024-present

    • Santa Barbara CAMT- roles of President & Secretary, 2015-2018

    • CAMFT- 2008-Present

Your needs matter too.

Greater ease awaits.