Online Across California · Based in San Diego

Hi, I'm Maring.

I'm an Associate Marriage and Family Therapist specializing in neurodivergent couples and individuals. I came to this work the long way - through my own relationships, my own diagnosis, and 17 years of working with people's bodies as an acupuncturist before I ever sat in a therapy chair.

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Maring Higa, AMFT, online neurodivergent couples and individual therapist serving California, at her desk
AMFT #145908Supervised by Dr. Harry Motro, LMFT #53452
Lived ExperienceADHD, a neurodiverse marriage, a neurodivergent kid
17 Years With the BodyLicensed acupuncturist before becoming a therapist
Mom of TwoIncluding a neurodivergent kid who teaches me daily

My Story

This Work Is Personal for Me

I was once in a neurodiverse marriage - one that held both real love and real difficulty. Navigating the differences in communication, emotional processing, and relational rhythms taught me things no training could. That marriage ended in divorce, and I carry what I learned from it with gratitude, not bitterness. It cracked me open to what it actually takes to bridge different worlds.

"Having lived through both disconnection and deep repair, I bring a grounded, compassionate hope to couples who are struggling. I don't offer quick fixes. I offer real tools for real relationships."

Today I'm over a decade into a relationship with someone I consider my soulmate - which doesn't mean easy. We blend families, heal old wounds, and keep stumbling into each other's rough edges. We still get it wrong sometimes. But we keep showing up with curiosity and care. That lived contrast is part of what I bring into every session.

I was also diagnosed with ADHD as an adult, which reframed a lot of my own history - the overwhelm, the internal shame, the constant sense of falling short in a world that didn't match how I was wired. That experience made me a better therapist and a more compassionate person.

Parenting a Neurodivergent Child

My son is autistic. My daughter keeps me on my toes in entirely different ways. Parenting a neurodivergent child has taught me more than any book ever could - the sensory challenges, the meltdowns, the brilliance, and the fatigue. I walk alongside parents not as an expert from afar, but as someone in the trenches who gets it.

Co-Parenting and Blended Families

I've lived the real challenges of co-parenting and blending families - the loyalty binds, the role confusion, the grief for what was alongside the hope for what could be. I help families build something new that honors everyone in it, including the kids.

How I Work

What Therapy With Me Actually Looks Like

I don't see either partner as the problem. I help couples understand how their unique wiring, regulation needs, and processing styles shape the way they connect - or miss each other. We slow things down, shift out of blame, and build something that works for both neurotypes.

01

Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT)

We identify the negative cycle driving disconnection, understand what each partner is protecting, and create new moments of genuine connection and repair.

02

Somatic & Bioenergetic Work

The body holds what words can't always reach. I bring breathwork, somatic tracking, and body awareness tools into sessions - especially useful for neurodivergent clients whose nervous systems are exhausted or dysregulated.

03

Internal Family Systems (IFS)

Parts work to help each person access compassion for their own inner world - understanding the protective behaviors that show up in conflict and what's underneath them.

04

Imago & Gottman Tools

Exploring how early wounds shape current conflict, alongside practical tools for communication, rituals of connection, and conflict management that actually hold up day to day.

I Also Work With

Partners Who Feel UnseenSupport for the partner carrying the relationship alone (sometimes called Cassandra Syndrome)

Late DiagnosisProcessing identity, grief, and relief after an adult ADHD or autism diagnosis

Masking & BurnoutRecovering from years of performing "normal"

Co-ParentingCommunication, boundaries, and conflict de-escalation after separation

Blended FamiliesBuilding new structures that honor everyone - including the kids

Parents of Neurodivergent KidsSpace for your own experience, not just your child's

Body-centered, somatic approach to therapy

The Body in the Room

17 Years Working With the Body Changed How I See Everything

Before I became a therapist, I practiced acupuncture for 17 years. That time spent working with bodies - understanding how stress, trauma, and emotion show up physically - shaped everything about how I work as a therapist.

Many neurodivergent clients are disconnected from their bodies - through interoception differences, sensory overload, or years of chronic stress they've learned to ignore. In my work, we reconnect to the body not as a "fix," but as a source of information and regulation. What's held in the body often tells us more than words.

I'm also trained in bioenergetic somatic therapy, and I'm an athlete, an injury survivor, and a circus arts performer. I believe healing happens through embodiment - not just insight.

Somatic Therapy Bioenergetics Nervous System Regulation Breathwork Interoception Trauma-Informed

Outside the Office

A Few Things About Me

Creative by Nature

I'm endlessly curious and deeply creative. I love making music, getting lost in hands-on projects, and finding beauty in the messiness of being human. I believe humor, creativity, and embodiment are essential parts of healing - not extras.

Women's Soccer Fan

Give me a good match and I'm happy. Sport has always been part of how I stay grounded - as a fan, as an athlete, and as someone who understands what it means to train through difficulty and keep showing up anyway.

In It Myself

I'm a mom, a partner, a co-parent, and someone who still does her own work. I don't believe in asking clients to go somewhere I haven't been willing to go myself. This work is personal - in every sense.

Credentials

Education & Training

Degrees & Licenses

  • M.A. in Counseling Psychology (MFT) - National University
  • B.A. in Contemplative Psychology - Naropa University
  • M.S. in Oriental Medicine - Pacific College of Oriental Medicine
  • Registered Associate Marriage & Family Therapist #145908 (verify with CA BBS)
  • Supervised by Dr. Harry Motro, LMFT #53452
  • NPI 1376794321 (verify with NPPES)
  • Employed by New Path Family of Therapy Centers
  • Bioenergetic Somatic Training - San Diego, CA (2021-2025)
  • 17 years in clinical practice as a licensed acupuncturist (2008-2025)

Approaches I Draw From

  • Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT)-informed
  • Internal Family Systems (IFS)-informed
  • Imago Relationship Therapy-informed
  • Gottman Method-informed
  • Somatic Therapy & Nervous System Regulation
  • Trauma-Informed Couples Work
  • Neurodivergent-Affirming Practice (ADHD, autism, AuDHD)
  • Perinatal & Fertility Mental Health (background)

License and NPI numbers link to the official California Board of Behavioral Sciences and NPPES registries, where you can search to independently verify credentials.

Now that you know a bit about me and how I work - let's see if we're a match.

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Maring Higa, AMFT

Neurodivergent-affirming therapy for couples and individuals. Somatic and relational. Online across California; couples retreats in San Diego.

Associate Marriage & Family Therapist #145908
Supervised by Dr. Harry Motro, LMFT #53452
NPI 1376794321

Services

Neurodivergent Couples Therapy Individual Therapy Couples Retreats Somatic Therapy Partner Support

Contact

maringhigacounseling@gmail.com 619-387-8725 Start Here Looking for coaching instead? Maring Higa Coaching →
© 2026 Maring Higa Counseling · San Diego, CA · maringhigacounseling.com
Maring Higa
Main Rates About Contact
Neurodiverse Couples Counseling Neurodiverse Partner Support Somatic Psychotherapy Couples Retreats Individual Neurodivergent therapy
MainRatesAboutContact Services Neurodiverse Couples Counseling Neurodiverse Partner Support Somatic Psychotherapy Couples Retreats Individual Neurodivergent therapy
Maring Higa
Associate Therapist & Acupuncturist
Maring Higa
maringhigacounseling@gmail.com