Marissa Nowowiejski

Marissa’s Story

I wear several different hats at Modern Psychiatry. As a psychometrist, I administer client psychological and neuropsychological testing as well as ADHD testing. Also working with our Child and Family therapy team, I provide case management for children, ensuring they have the right resources in school and at home, including, if necessary, access to mobile response and stabilization resources.

I find the various roles dovetail well. Test results show that different accommodations and plans of care are needed for every client. That personalization is important. Hopefully, it will help prevent the stigmatization that can occur in our society and make people more accepting of others’ differences.

At Modern Psychiatry, I often work with adults who come to us wanting answers. “We’ll discover that for whatever reason, diagnoses were sometimes missed or dismissed during childhood. As a result, these clients may have been written off by teachers, parents ... all sorts of things. They made it to adulthood and now they're taking the reins themselves. “It’s great to hear clients say, “‘I'm gonna find the answers!’”

I’m happy I may be able to ease their situation and provide them with access and resources to the problems they may be having, for example, paying for utilities, or with transportation, housing, or needing mobile response services for their children. Removing those problems frees up the space to focus on their mental health issues and benefit from the therapy.  

“It’s rewarding to be a part of supporting and helping them on their journey – and working with them has been part of my journey.” I started out wanting to teach in high school, then started working as a career coach in workforce development and a case manager for clients with challenging family situations. The deeper I got into my work, the more focused I became on helping families who were in need not only financially but also suffering with mental health issues.

“I’m all about the importance of family.” The way that families function, or dysfunction, is crucial to a person’s development and to their mental health. “Your family shapes you. The question becomes what you’re going to do with that: use it to propel you forward or hold you back.”

Life is definitely a journey. “The important thing is that we don’t take any of it for granted.”