My name is Marilyn Richardson Tenney. I am a Counselor with a Master’s degree in Marriage, Family and Addiction Recovery. I am married to Ron Tenney, and together we have 5 sons, two daughters in law and four beautiful grandchildren. After our youngest son began school, I felt a push of calling to return to school and pursue a career as a therapist in addiction recovery work.

 

Since 2001 is as Counselor at LDS Family Services with a special emphasis in assisting men and women struggling with sex addiction as well as working with their spouses. I feel passionate about helping individuals and couples to heal and work through past trauma.  In addition, I work with clients struggling with depression and anxiety.

Besides individual counseling, I have facilitated sex addiction recovery groups for men as well as women, providing support for addicts as well others affected by the destructive patterns of addiction.

 

When discussing my career choice with people, many ask if I get “burned out” or depressed working with people with so many problems. In fact, I have come to appreciate and value the incredible courage it takes for individuals to face life-long struggles and find the willingness to change and heal. As a counselor, it is my experience that healing is possible with the help of family, church leaders, fellow recovering people and God. There are fundamental principles, which if properly employed, permit people to change.

My role in this miraculous process is to guide people through the healing process facing the past, identifying dysfunctional patterns and giving actual tools that facilitate recovery.

 

Some of the tools that I use in counseling include:

• Cognitive Behavioral therapy
• EMDR
• Psychodrama
  Emotionally Focused Therapy

 

If healing with individuals is challenging, destructive patterns in marriage can be even more daunting. To assist in marriage counseling, I use many of the tools of Emotionally Focused Therapy, a set of tools that have been refined in the past few years to accelerate healing, break down defensive cycles and get a couple to begin to heal come together. My career as a counselor is one of the most precious parts of my life. My own life experiences, like so many others, have helped me see each person as child of God. My training and experience have made it possible for me to participate in people changing and healing. 

 

I received my Masters degree in Marriage, Family and Addiction Recovery and have been practicing since 2001.  I have been trained with EMDR and Psychodrama and other modalities for healing.  I work with male and female sex addicts and appreciate the courage they have to break painful patterns in their life.  I am in training for the American Association for Sex Addiction Therapy.  A very powerful approach to marriage counseling is Emotionally Focused Therapy in which  I have received advanced training.  I love witnessing individuals and couples heal and grow closer to each other.