Research Interests

pop culture and psychology, tattoos and trauma healing

Biography

Emily (Em) Marinelli (They/Them) is a genderqueer, queer femme, Virgo psychotherapist, professor, and author.

Em teaches at the California Institute of Integral Studies in the Integral Counseling Psychology Program and at City College of San Francisco. In their private therapy practice, Em offers warm and supportive guidance to individuals and couples, using a humanistic, trauma-informed, feminist, social justice, and strengths-based approach.

They are a 2025 Tin House Workshop Fellow and a 2026 Lambda Literary Fellow. Their essays have appeared in Alan Squire Publishing Literary Journal, The Blue Rose Magazine, Film Obsessive, and TV Obsessive.

They host the Twin Peaks Tattoo Podcast, where they chat with fans about their Twin Peaks tattoos and what their ink means to them. They cohost the Queer Therapists Talk Wayward podcast (covering Netflix's limited series Wayward) with their colleague Avery Phipps. They also cohost the Reheated Rivalry podcast (covering HBO Max's series), with their nerdy film bestie.

Em's debut memoir, Comfort Sequels: The Psychology of Movie Sequels from the 80s and 90s won First Place in the Entertainment and LGBTQ+ categories at the 2024 Bookfest Awards and the International Impact Book Award in LGBTQ+ Nonfiction.

Em has been dancing since they were 3 and now teaches adult tap dance classes. They love cuddling with their rescue pups Radish and Rusty.

Follow Em online @emsmarinelli

Education

M.A. in Counseling Psychology in Community Mental Health, California Institute of Integral Studies

B.A. in Women’s Studies, California State University, Long Beach

Awards & Distinctions

2026 Lambda Literary Fellow

2025 Tin House Workshop Fellow

2025 International Impact Book Award in LGBTQ+ Nonfiction

2025 Best Indie Book Award Winner in LGBTQ2 Memoir

2024 Bookfest Awards: First Place in Entertainment and LGBTQ+ categories

2024 Five Star Review, Chicago Book Review

Courses

Psychodynamics, Alcohol and Chemical Dependency, Clinical Relationship, Human Sexuality, Family Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Between Two Worlds: Depth Psychology and Twin Peaks, How Movies Can Heal Us: Depth Psychology and Pop Culture, Therapeutic Communication

Publications

Books

Marinelli, E. (2028). Comfort Musicals: A Memoir in Essays. (Forthcoming)

Marinelli, E., & Bernady, J. (2027). Fix Your Hearts: Transforming Trauma in Twin Peaks. Fayetteville Mafia Press Publishing. (Forthcoming)

Marinelli, E. (2024). Comfort sequels: The psychology of movie sequels from the 80's and 90's. Fayetteville Mafia Press Publishing.

Book Chapters

Berthold, T., Wenzl, C. and Marinelli, E. (2016). Care Management. In T. Berthold (Ed.), Foundations for community health workers (2nd ed., pp. 259-299). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass Publishing.

Berthold, T., Wenzl, C. and Marinelli, E. (2016). Home Visiting. In T. Berthold (Ed.), Foundations for community health workers (2nd ed., pp. 299-219). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass Publishing.

Berthold, T., Wenzl, C. and Marinelli, E. (2016). Health Outreach. In T. Berthold (Ed.), Foundations for community health workers (2nd ed., pp. 549-577). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass Publishing. 

Articles

Marinelli, E. (2025). See you in the trees: Grieving someone you've never met. The Blue Rose Magazine, 18, 10–11.

Marinelli, E. (2022). The hermit as harold smith. The Blue Rose Magazine, 17, 14-15.

Ryan, S. & Marinelli, E. (2022). The mysterious man, The Blue Rose Magazine, 17, 18.

Marinelli, E. (2022).  Scott Ryan on his new book Fire Walk With Me: Your Laura Disappeared. Film Obsessive.

Marinelli, E. (2022). Love will never be the same again: Savannah Smiles, 40 years later. Film Obsessive. 

Marinelli, E. (2022). Transitional objects in Twin Peaks: An interview with fan collector Jason Mattson. 25 Years Later.

Marinelli, E. (2021). Run silent, run drapes: What Nadine's story teaches us about trauma loops, trauma healing and trauma recovery. 25 Years Later.

Marinelli, E. (2021). Stuart Pankin on Mannequin 2: On the Move, 30 years later. Film Obsessive.

Marinelli, E. (2021). The impossibility of loving Max Evans: Liz Parker's identity confusion in Roswell's theme song "Here With Me". TV Obsessive.

Marinelli, E. (2021). As above, so below: Social class in Bravo's reality TV show Below Deck. TV Obsessive.