Meet Gabriela De Marchi | Humanistic Counselor & California-style Massage Therapist. I created Counseling Somático®, a method that blends talk therapy with somatic massage to release emotions held in the body.

We had the good fortune of connecting with Gabriela De Marchi and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Gabriela, what do you want people to remember about you?
I would like to be remembered as someone who gently helped others come back home to themselves.

Someone who made people say: “With her, I learned to listen to what I was feeling without judging myself. To sense in my body what my soul couldn’t yet put into words. To trust that healing isn’t about erasing what happened —because we can’t just delete memory like hitting backspace— but about understanding, accepting, and transforming its meaning.”

I truly believe that emotions aren’t just thought — they are embodied. And the body, far from being an obstacle or merely a storage place for symptoms, can become a compass: a sensitive, living guide that shows us the way even when words fall short.

If there’s one thing I’d like to leave behind, it’s this: the certainty that even in the midst of pain, there is a path back. And along that path, there’s always room for a word that has walked with me and defines me: thanks

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I’ve always felt a deep curiosity about what it means to be human — what hurts us, what transforms us, and how we heal.

My professional journey is the result of bringing together two languages that are often treated separately: the language of words and the language of the body. I’m a Humanistic Counselor and a certified California-style massage therapist. From that intersection, I created Counseling Somático®, a method that supports people in emotional processes through bodywork — because the body doesn’t just feel: it remembers, holds, stores, and sometimes blocks what we couldn’t process.

What I’m most proud of isn’t having created a method, but hearing people say after a session: “No one had ever listened to me like this. I never realized that what hurt so much was also living in my body.”

Getting here wasn’t easy. I spent years studying — and I still do, not always in formal settings, but constantly through reading, which keeps me nourished and updated. I’ve had doubts, fears of not being enough, fears of not being able to make a living from my vocation. But I’ve learned that there’s no growth without authenticity. Every challenge has taught me something valuable: that I don’t need to have all the answers, that showing up with honesty is often more healing than any technique, and that the body never lies.

If there’s one thing I’d like the world to know about my story, it’s that I didn’t come here to offer magic formulas. I’m here to hold a real, loving, and professional space where each person can find their own way back to themselves.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
If I had to show Miami to someone I love, I’d invite them to look beyond the obvious shine and connect with the city’s soul. We’d start in Wynwood, a neighborhood that turned what it once was —an industrial zone full of car repair shops— into a canvas for art, identity, and beauty. It’s a powerful reminder that even with few resources, something meaningful can be built. I’m moved by its ability to reinvent itself without fully abandoning its roots —something deeply human.
Then we’d wander through Little Havana, where the aromas, murals, and music tell a story of exile, gratitude, and cultural pride. I’m touched by how that community turned displacement into belonging, without losing its essence. We’d eat at a traditional spot —maybe El Pub or the iconic Versailles— and raise a mojito at Ball & Chain, celebrating the resilient joy of its people.
Later, we’d head to South Beach, which to me feels like an open-air Art Deco museum —a celebration of design, color, and the unexpected. Maybe we’d grab a drink on a rooftop in Brickell or at a small hidden bar with a view of the ocean. I love that mix of vibrant and intimate.
What I love most about Miami is how it tells stories of transformation, courage, and cultural fusion. That’s exactly what I try to do through my work.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My deepest gratitude goes to Dr. Ray Dalton — a key mentor in my professional journey and later my therapist for many years. His presence, his humanity, and his way of accompanying others have profoundly shaped the way I work and relate.

I also want to acknowledge the impact of Carl Rogers, whose humanistic philosophy is at the heart of every encounter I have with the people I accompany.

But if there’s someone I owe immense gratitude to, it’s my clients. They place their trust in me and allow me to walk respectfully through intimate, and sometimes painful, territory. Through that relationship, I grow every day — both as a professional and as a human being.

The creation of Counseling Somático was made possible by everything I learned through counseling and California-style massage, but above all, by the real people who allowed me to walk alongside them and work together through the challenges life brings.

Website: https://masajesterapeuticos.webnode.page/

Instagram: @clr.gabrielademarchi

Facebook: Mundo Counseling (https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61560183150044&sk=about)

Image Credits
Gabriela De Marchi