Somatic Psychotherapy

As one of her colleagues, I have been continually impressed by the level of skill and integrity Marenka has with her work. I can say with confidence that she is one of the most skilled relational therapists I have met. Her warm heart and easy acceptance of people is matched only by her thoughtfulness, discernment, and keen observation. I would say that her attunement and responsiveness to people's internal states is among her greatest strengths:  in my experience, she misses very little about people's experience, bringing kindness and openness, and infusing the relationship with a vitality and aliveness.Marenka has a deep grasp on embodied practices -- rather than just focusing on the body as a symbolic instrument, Marenka works to help people truly unlock the lived experience of their bodily wisdom, and harvesting that wisdom in service to their path.For those seeking the deeper psychological healing that somatic approaches can potentially provide (above and beyond what is possible with cognitive-behavioral approaches), Marenka is my first-line recommendation for clients in need of strong support, psychological exploration, and a solid container. More...

Reviewed on Yelp

Marenka was my therapist for a few years when I lived in the Bay Area.I was hesitant to see a therapist for many years, but the transformative work my parter was doing with Marenka inspired me to begin working with her. At first I joined my partner for a few couples sessions, then I started working with Marenka individually. Marenka introduced me to somatic therapy which has helped me tremendously. She has helped me to cultivate tools to manage my anxiety and dissociative tendencies, through the mind/body connection.She is patient, nonjudgemental, kind, thoughtful, and provided me (& my partner!) incredible counseling as I navigated challenging relationship situations (ie, navigating non-monogamy) and major life changes (ie, sobriety). I can't recommend Marenka enough. She has changed my life. I wish she were here in NYC! More...

Reviewed on Yelp

Marenka has been my therapist for many years now and I can't imagine how those years may have panned out without her guidance. (I like to joke that she picked up where my mom, who I turn to for just about everything, left off when my adult life became more than mom could handle on her own.) Marenka is so kind, so incredibly intuitive, sharp, and endlessly insightful. I look forward to every visit (helps that her office is a cinch to get to on Bart and also she will phone or Skype when I travel). My anxiety is nearly non existent now and it used to be crippling. When it does come up, my sessions with M have resourced me to manage it like a pro and it no longer ruins my days. The physical effects of anxiety are a distant memory when I used to have whole days I couldn't eat or sleep or breathe comfortably. She has helped me with my personal life immensely (from struggling with jealousy to conflict resolution to unpacking childhood trauma, etc). Working with her has also opened doors for me professionally, which I didn't anticipate: work-related things that used to keep me up at night are a non-issue now; I approach them with confidence that things will work out and take it in stride and/or as a learning experience if things happen to go awry. My boss has taken note (have received two promotions in the last two years when the years prior saw no growth). My creative work has improved. My depression is a blip on my radar, compared to the months prior to meeting her that had me stuck in bed for days on end. She is an amazing relationship coach, and she doesn't bat an eye at the mention of non-monogamy/polyamory, which is what brought me to her office to begin with. Navigating multiple relationships with Marenka as my MFT has been an eye opening personal journey that I plan to continue for the foreseeable future. She also helped introduce my partner to therapy for the first time (who was adamant against receiving therapy and has been growing by leaps and bounds since). Highly recommend her if you are in the market for healing of any kind or if your relationship(s) or career or family are in need of healing of any kind. She's the little warrior princess on my shoulder when life throws me its nonsense. More...

Reviewed on Yelp

I enthusiastically and unreservedly recommend Marenka Cerny. She has supportively counseled my teen through a very challenging period including a major trauma. Marenka has a deep understanding of family systems and productive communication, and guides teens and their loved ones to healthy, heart-based relationships. Marenka is kind, thoughtful, generous and open-minded, and has a warm sense of humor. She helped my teen get in touch with her most authentic voice and self, while at the same time promoting stronger bonds within our family. She has been a great gift to our family. Doing emotional/psychotherapeutic work with Marenka is truly as good as it gets. She has gently helped me and my daughter navigate trauma and grief, and helps us rediscover the innate joy and peace that is available to each of us. More...

Reviewed on Yelp

I saw Mařenka both individually and also as a couple (and my partner also saw her individually at the time).I was always apprehensive about seeing a therapist because I found the prospect of being on the defensive exhausting, and as in life in general, I expected a therapist might jump to a lot of (understandable) conclusions. For example, I'm direct and forthright; I don't mince words. But even though in our culture, that correlates with being abrasive and running roughshod over others and their opinions, the latter doesn't describe me. I expected that there would be many such correlations that I would challenge, and that felt like I would likely end up spending a lot more time dispelling these conclusions than working through real issues.But with Mařenka, even when I did have to explain myself or offer a technical clarification on some linguistic formulation, it didn't feel like I was on the defensive. Instead, I felt that Mařenka was really trying to *understand* me, to "get" what the experience of being me is like. And that made our sessions much more effective, in that she was much more effective in (1) helping me to introspect, draw connections I hadn't made before, and see things from new perspectives, and (2) offering me concrete suggestions for how I might approach challenging situations in my life.I also appreciated her intellectual curiosity, and we discussed both her thinking around integrating attachment theory and Circling, as well as my own thoughts about some of the material she shared with me (and especially how those ideas applied to my personal psychological context!). By engaging with me *cognitively*, I felt we were better connected, as therapist and patient.Overall, I loved that our sessions were a union of a warm, supportive, nurturing environment of mutual care and of intellectual rigor.While I personally struggled with the *somatic* aspect of our sessions, I found that *as therapy*, the sessions were more useful and enjoyable than I had anticipated.For anyone seeking therapy, I would strongly recommend Mařenka. While the best fit for a therapist undoubtedly depends on many personal factors, you owe it to yourself to try with her. More...

Reviewed on Google Maps