Maryellen holds a Masters of Arts degree in Counseling Psychology, a Bachelor of Arts in Human Communication, and is licensed as a Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) in California. In addition to being a psychotherapist, she is an advocate for strengthening Social Emotional Learning (SEL) skills for all. With her project Messy Parenting: Progress Not Perfection®, Maryellen writes, speaks and provides training regularly to parents, couples, families, school and parent groups, and community-based non-profits, on parenting and child development topics. In her podcast and family work, her quest is to bring those who bravely parent, strategies and methods to make family life less muddled and more joy-filled! Originally from Gloucester, Massachusetts, Maryellen lives in the San Francisco Bay Area, with her family and four-legged Yorkie.