
Marine Petrosyan
Psychologist. Supervisor. Life Coach. Therapist.
Phone:
+1 (818) 697-2478
Email:
A Bit About Me
I am a psychologist, psychotherapist, and educator with over three decades of experience in Armenia and the United States. My professional path has included private psychotherapy practice, academic teaching, research, and the training of fellow specialists. Since 2021, I have been based in California, offering in-person and online sessions to help individuals overcome anxiety, stress, and personal challenges while fostering emotional resilience and self-discovery.
Throughout my career, I have held leadership and teaching roles, including serving as Head of the Department of Psychological Expertise at the National Bureau of Expertise, Lecturer at Yerevan State University, and Psychologist/Trainer at the Seda Ghazarian Memorial Foundation. I also conducted academic research as a Network Fellow at Harvard University’s Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics.
Fluent in Armenian, Russian, and English, I bring cultural sensitivity, scientific depth, and a compassionate approach to my work—helping each client move toward balance, healing, and personal growth.
Work Experience
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Sept. 2021- now Private practice in psychotherapy
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Sept. 2016-2021 Teacher, Davidian & Mariamian Educational Foundation,
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October 2017-2020 Job coach, Community Suport Staff, The Campbell center,
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Sept. 2014- 2015 Network Fellow, Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics, Harvard University, Cambridge, USA Research topic:’’ The State of Police Integrity in Armenia: a follow up survey’’.
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Sept. 2011-2015 Psychologist, Trainer, Seda Ghazarian Memorial Foundation (SGMF), The Intra Mental Health centre, Yerevan
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2007 – 2015 Lecturer, Chair of Psychology of Personality, Yerevan State University, Yerevan
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2007 –2015 Lecturer, Chair of Psychology of Management, Public Administration Academy of RA, Yerevan
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Oct. 2005 – 2015 Head of the Department of Psychological Expertise, National Bureau of Expertise, Yerevan
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1999-2004 Psychologist and Deputy Head, National Centre for Psychological Services, Yerevan
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1994-2003 Head of the Psychological Services, Anania Shirkatasi Armenian National Lyceum,Yerevam
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1992-1994 Senior Specialist, Department of Career and Professional Consultation, Employment Center, Yerevan
EDUCATION
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1991-1992 Practitioner Psychologist, Practical Psychologists Training Center, Postgraduate Education, Diploma, Yerevan State University, Yerevan
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1983 -1989 Engineer, Diploma Yerevan Polytechnic Institute,Yerevan
OTHER PROFESSIONAL TRAININGS & QUALIFICATIONS
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2015 Effective Medico -Legal Documentation of Torture and ILL Treatment Cases, Certificate, Aghveran, Armenia
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2008 Internship “Qualification Improvement”, Certificate, Centre for Personality Psychophysiology and psychology, Expertise Centre of Ministry of Justice of Russian Federation.
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2005 “Introduction to Business’’, Certificate, International Labor Organization. Yerevan
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2000-2001 Trainings for Trainers- Facilitators, Certificate. (1st and 2nd levels) Training program for teachers of ‘Life Skills’ course, UNICEF, Yerevan
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2000 Trainings for Psychologists, special pedagogues, nurses working in “Integrative Teaching Programs”. Certificate. “Phoenix” Medical Psychological and social Centre. UNICEF, World Vision, Ministry of Education and Science of RA
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2000 Trainings for Trainer-Facilitators. Certificate. “Practice of Harmonic Development” Training program for nursery schools’ teachers. UNICEF, Ministry of Education and Science. Yerevan
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1999 Peculiarities of Integrative Education of preschool Children. Certificate. World Vision. Yerevan
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1995-1997 Training program for Trainer-facilitators. Certificate . ‘Support for Children in Stress.’’(1st,2nd,3rd levels) UNICEF, Ministry of Education and Sciences of RA
“My Story”
I have never believed in promises of quick fixes or easy happiness. Life is complex, and often our questions have no immediate answers. But at some point, you realize that within that complexity, there is a path meant for you — not the one others expect you to take.
For me, psychology is not about giving answers, but about the art of asking the right questions.
I work so that you can see the forgotten or hidden parts of your life — not just to “survive,” but to truly live. I believe that every experience, even a painful one, carries meaning. And when you look at its roots, your entire perspective on life begins to shift.
In my work, I don’t aim to make you “better.” I want you to choose for yourself: which path to follow, what to leave in the past, and what to take with you.
My Approach
I believe that every effect has its cause.
Our emotions, behaviors, fears, and struggles are never random — they each have their own history. When we uncover that history, not only does the issue itself begin to change, but so does our entire attitude toward life.
Too often, we try to simply “eliminate” anxiety, panic, or fear without understanding why they appeared in the first place. But when we truly understand the cause, those feelings stop controlling us — they transform into meaningful experiences.
My therapeutic approach is built on this principle:
✔️ Listening to and understanding not only what you feel today, but where it comes from.
✔️ Revealing the unseen connections that have shaped your present state.
✔️ Helping you see your life’s chain of causes and effects — not as a sentence, but as an opportunity for growth.
Scientific Foundations
This approach draws from several psychotherapeutic schools, each in its own way affirming the importance of cause-and-effect thinking:
✔️ Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT):
CBT teaches that our behaviors and emotions are shaped by our thoughts, and our thoughts — by past experiences. When we change distorted interpretations (irrational beliefs), our behavior changes as well.
✔️ Psychodynamic Approach:
This perspective emphasizes unconscious causes formed through childhood and past experiences. Anxiety, fears, and other issues that remain unconscious continue to affect the present.
✔️ Humanistic Therapy:
The humanistic approach stresses that every person has an inherent potential for growth and self-actualization. Yet past wounds can block that potential. Understanding their causes allows us to reclaim it.
✔️ Somatic and Neuroscientific Approaches:
Modern neuroscience shows that traumatic past experiences are literally recorded in the brain and body, producing physiological and emotional reactions. Understanding the roots of these reactions makes it possible to transform them.
What Changes When We Understand the Cause
When we fight only the symptoms, we exhaust ourselves.
When we understand the cause — we set ourselves free.
Through this process, you can:
✔️ Accept your current state with greater peace.
✔️ Change what truly can be changed — not by force, but through awareness.
✔️ Manage your life more independently, stepping out of the shadow of the past.
Why I Chose This Path
Because I have also been in places where it was hard to see what was worth continuing for.
Because I know that instead of trying to change a person, we should help them understand why they are where they are now. And that is where the journey toward change begins.




