About Arches Psychology Denver
Evidence-based therapy for LGBTQ individuals and couples in the heart of Denver
Brett Marroquin, Ph.D.
Licensed Clinical Psychologist
About Dr. Marroquin
At Arches Psychology Denver, I provide therapy for individuals with anxiety, emotional problems, and relationship issues, and for couples seeking to improve their relationships.
I specialize in working with gay, queer, and LGBTQ individuals and couples, as well as with physicians and other health professionals.
My therapy approach is focused on you as a unique individual or couple, but grounded in the most current psychological science — in other words, what we know works.
I take an active, collaborative, and direct approach to therapy, and I highly value building a comfortable, trusting, and caring professional relationship with clients. My clients would tell you I'm warm, supportive, direct, "real,” and open-minded. Sometimes I’m even funny.
I know how powerful therapy can be in creating meaningful, lasting growth and change — and I also know how scary and challenging it can be. I love being a therapist, and I’m honored and humbled to be a part of the process for others.
I live in Denver with my husband, our son, and our scruffy terrier/lab mix, Henri. As a relatively new Denverite, I enjoy wandering around new neighborhoods, checking out weekend festivals, exploring Colorado’s many breweries, and tentatively learning how to ride a bike in a city.
What is LGBTQ-Affirmative Therapy?
At Arches Psychology Denver, my mission is to increase LGBTQ individuals’ and couples’ access to high-quality, scientifically-supported therapies that can truly transform LGBTQ people’s lives and relationships, in a safe, caring, and affirming place.
For LGBTQ folks, it can be tough to find a therapist that fits, someone you can be your whole self with, who "gets" it. And for LGBTQ couples, it can be hard to find a well-qualified couples therapist who identifies as LGBTQ themselves and specializes in working with the LGBTQ community.
Being LGBTQ-affirmative in therapy doesn't just mean being "ok" or "nonjudgmental" about LGBTQ identities. It means affirming the positivity, validity, and diversity of LGBTQ experiences, and recognizing the roles of homophobia, transphobia, and discrimination in our community's wellbeing and relationships.
An LGBTQ-affirmative approach doesn’t assume everything in therapy has to be about your LGBTQ identity. It does assume your experiences, fears, goals, and hopes are valid and important, regardless of gender identity, sexual orientation, or relationship to sexuality.
Just like my non-LGBTQ clients, many of my LGBTQ clients are primarily focused on anxiety or relationship issues in individual therapy, or on improving their close relationships in couples therapy. In addition, LGBTQ individuals and couples often seek to address other concerns more specific to their queer identities, like coming out, experiences with discrimination, dating, and sex.
Background & Education
I am a Licensed Clinical Psychologist in the states of Colorado and California. I have over 15 years of experience treating emotional disorders and relationship problems, including over 8 years of private practice with individuals and couples.
Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology: Yale University
Clinical Internship/Residency: Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine/Northwestern Memorial Hospital
Postdoctoral Fellowship in Health Psychology: University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)
Certified in Integrative Behavioral Couple Therapy (IBCT)
Certified in the Relationship Checkup
Before deciding to focus full-time on private practice, I was a tenured Associate Professor in the Department of Psychological Science at Loyola Marymount University, and I served as a Clinical Instructor at UCLA’s Psychology Clinic, supervising students’ graduate training in couples therapy.
I am a member of the American Psychological Association (APA), the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies (ABCT), and the Lesbian and Gay Psychotherapy Association of Southern California (LAGPA).
Research & Publications
In my academic research I study the role of intimate relationships in how people regulate emotions in healthy or unhealthy ways, and how therapy and clinical intervention can help.
If you are interested in my research, you can find more information on my Google Scholar page.
A few selected and representative publications:
Xu, M., Cho, G., Veldhuis, C.B., Miranda, R., & Marroquín, B. (2025). The External Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (EERQ): Development and validation of a self-report measure of interpersonal emotion regulation. Cognitive Therapy and Research.
Morgan, R.M., & Marroquín, B. (2024). Music listening as emotion regulation: Associations with other emotion regulation strategies and symptoms of depression and anxiety. Musicae Scientiae, 28(3), 591-605.
Marroquín, B., & Vine, V. (2021). Emotion regulation in patients, providers, and the clinical relationship. In R. Schwartz, J.A. Hall, & L.G. Osterberg (Eds.), Emotion in the clinical encounter (pp. 175-208). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
Marroquín, B., Vine, V., & Morgan, R. (2020). Mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic: Effects of stay-at-home policies, social distancing behavior, and social resources. Psychiatry Research, 293, 113419.
Marroquín, B., & Nolen-Hoeksema, S. (2015). Emotion regulation and depressive symptoms: Close relationships as social context and influence. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 109, 836-855.
Marroquín, B. (2011). Interpersonal emotion regulation as a mechanism of social support in depression. Clinical Psychology Review, 31, 1276-1290.
Professional Consultation & Supervision
Dr. Marroquin is available for professional consultation and supervision, on a one-time or recurring basis.
He provides consultation to other therapists about:
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for anxiety and mood disorders
Integrative Behavioral Couple Therapy assessment and intervention
LGBTQ issues in individual or couple therapy
LGBTQ-affirmative psychotherapy / Cultural competence with LGBTQ populations
