Maring Higa, Registered Associate Marriage and Family Therapist | Neurodiverse Couples Specialist

💛 Lived Experience Shapes the Way I Work

I know what it’s like to fight for connection—and to finally find it, in a way that feels real, earned, and deeply alive.

Earlier in life, I was in a neurodiverse marriage that ended in divorce. It was a relationship filled with both love and difficulty, and navigating the differences in communication, processing, and emotional rhythms taught me more than any training ever could. That experience was humbling and powerful—it cracked me open to what it really means to bridge worlds. I carry forward the insight, empathy, and hard-won clarity I gained from that relationship with deep gratitude. It made me who I am today.

Now, I’m over a decade into a new relationship with someone I truly consider my soulmate. But “soulmate” doesn’t mean easy. It means we’re committed to doing the work—especially the work of blending families, healing old wounds, and growing through inevitable friction. We still have our differences. We still stumble. But we keep showing up with curiosity, humility, and care.

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.

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How I Work with Neurodiverse Couples

I specialize in helping neurodiverse couples—whether autistic, ADHD, or both—untangle the confusing, painful cycles that often arise when two very different nervous systems and communication styles collide.

I don’t see either partner as “the problem.” Instead, I help couples understand how their unique wiring, regulation needs, and processing styles impact the way they connect—or miss each other.

Together, we:

• Slow things down so both people feel safe and heard
  

• Shift out of blame and into shared curiosity
  

• Build a relational language that works for both neurotypes
  

• Learn how to repair misattunements with compassion and intention
  

• Respect sensory needs and differences in emotional pacing
  

My approach blends depth and structure. Some of the methods I draw from include:

• Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) for co-regulation and secure attachment
  

• Imago Therapy for exploring how early wounds shape current conflict
  

• Internal Family Systems (IFS) to help each partner access compassion for their own inner world
  

• Gottman tools for practical support around communication, rituals, and conflict management
  

• Somatic and bioenergetic work to address what's held in the body, not just the mind

  
  

Every couple is different—and in neurodiverse relationships, that difference is often wider and more profound than in neurotypical ones. That’s not a deficit—it’s just reality. With the right support, it can become a strength.

🌿 The Body Knows—Especially in Neurodiverse Relationships

Before I became a therapist, I practiced acupuncture for 17 years. I’ve also trained in somatic healing and bioenergetic therapy, and I bring that deep respect for the body into my work with clients every day.

Neurodiverse individuals—especially autistic folks—often live disconnected from their bodies. They may struggle with interoception (the ability to sense what's going on inside) or feel overloaded by sensory input, leading them to numb out or dissociate. Others may live in a state of chronic stress without even realizing it.

In my work, I help clients tune back in—gently and safely. Whether through breath, movement, somatic tracking, or body awareness tools, we reconnect to the body not as a “fix,” but as a source of wisdom and regulation. This is especially important in relationships, where the body holds unspoken tension, patterns of shutdown, and the longings we can’t always verbalize.

My training and experience include:

• Acupuncture and holistic bodywork
  

• Somatic therapy and bioenergetic release
  

• Support for postpartum health and hormonal transitions
  

• Women’s health and trauma recovery
  

• Personal experience as an athlete, injury survivor, and circus arts performer
  

This embodied lens helps me work with clients whose nervous systems are exhausted, disconnected, or over-activated—especially in the context of neurodiverse relationships.

🌱 Parenting Neurodivergent Children

I’m a mom of two amazing kids. My daughter is 9, and my son is 14 and autistic. Parenting a neurodivergent child has taught me more than any book or training ever could. I've come to understand the sensory challenges, the meltdowns, the brilliance, the beauty, and the fatigue.

What’s more, I was diagnosed with ADHD later in life, which helped make sense of so many struggles I carried silently as a child—overwhelm, internal shame, and the constant feeling of falling short in a world that didn’t match how I was wired.

This personal journey allows me to support other parents—especially those navigating diagnoses, school systems, and the emotional toll of loving a child who may not be understood by the world around them. I walk alongside you not as an expert from afar, but as someone in the trenches who deeply gets it.

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Co-Parenting After Separation

I’ve lived the real-world challenges of co-parenting—trying to communicate with an ex while staying grounded in your values, protecting your kids' emotional safety, and managing the logistics of schedules, boundaries, and big feelings.

Co-parenting can feel impossible at times, especially when there’s unresolved hurt or different parenting philosophies. I work with clients to develop realistic, compassionate strategies for communication, boundary-setting, and conflict de-escalation. My goal is to help you shift from power struggles to problem-solving, so your children get the best of both parents.

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Blended Families: A New Blueprint

Blending families isn't just about combining households—it’s about building a completely new system with its own rhythms, rituals, and rules.

As someone who’s part of a blended family, I know the loyalty binds, the role confusion, and the emotional landmines that can appear unexpectedly. There’s grief for what was, hope for what could be, and lots of tension in the “in between.”

I help blended families navigate common challenges like stepparent roles, co-parenting across households, discipline differences, and how to build connection when trust is still forming. Together, we create a new blueprint that honors everyone involved—including the kids.

🎨 And Just for Fun

I’m endlessly curious and deeply creative. I love women’s soccer, making music, and getting lost in hands-on projects. I find beauty in the messiness of being human and believe that humor, creativity, and embodiment are essential parts of healing.

Education & Clinical Training

• M.A. in Counseling Psychology (Marriage and Family Therapy) – National University
  

• M.S. in Oriental Medicine – Pacific College of Oriental Medicine
  

• Certified Bioenergetics Therapist – Southern California Institute of Bioenergetics (in progress)
  

• Registered Associate Marriage and Family Therapist #145908
  

• Supervised by Dr. Harry Motro, LMFT #53452
  

• Employed by New Path Family of Therapy Centers
  

Trained in:

• Somatic Therapy & Nervous System Regulation
  

• Internal Family Systems (IFS)
  

• Trauma-Informed Couples Work
  

• Fertility, Pregnancy, and Postpartum Mental Health
  

• Women's Health & Holistic Medicine
  

• Acupuncture and Embodiment Practices
  

Podcast Creator & Host:

• The Messy Middle (2016–2021) – Personal growth and emotional healing
  

• Body Talk (2024–Present) – Exploring somatic therapy, mind-body connection, and holistic wellness