Holly Merrill
As a California Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT), I specialize in helping adults navigate anxiety, depression, and the emotional challenges that can make everyday life feel overwhelming. I believe therapy is a collaborative process where you can feel heard, understood, and supported while developing the tools to create meaningful change. My approach is warm, compassionate, and individualized, I work with clients to help them understand the thoughts, emotions, behaviors, and relationship patterns that may be contributing to their struggles. Together, we identify practical strategies to manage symptoms, strengthen coping skills, and developing healthier ways of responding to life's challenges.
I am passionate about mental health and enjoy working with clients to help them overcome current challenges in their life.
First session
Starting therapy can feel a little unfamiliar, especially when meeting someone new and sharing personal parts of your life. My goal is to make your first session feel comfortable, welcoming, and safe. Our first session is an opportunity for us to get to know one another, and begin building a comfortable, trusting relationship. We'll introduce ourselves, talk about what brought you to therapy, and explore what you've been experiencing, and how it has been impacting your life. We'll also take time to talk about what you hope to gain from therapy and establish goals for treatment together. These goals will serve as a guide for our work, while allowing room for them to evolve as you make progress and/or your needs change. You don't need to prepare the "right" things to say or have everything figured out, before our first session. I bring a calm, steady presence to our work together, and I want you to feel you can show up exactly as you are. If you're ready to start feeling more like yourself again, I'd be honored to support you along the way.
Strengths
As an LMFT, I approach therapy through a family systems lens, recognizing that our relationships, family experiences, and learned patterns can shape how we respond to stress, conflict, and emotions. Together we might explore how these influences may be affecting your life today, helping you gain insight, and allowing space to create healthier ways of relating to yourself and others.
Ideal clients
I utilize evidence-based approaches to help clients manage anxiety, depression, and other life stressors. These approaches focus on building insight into thought patterns, developing emotion regulation skills, and practicing effective coping strategies. Whether you're feeling overwhelmed by daily stress, struggling with low mood or worry, or working through challenges in communication and connection to others, these approaches can support in providing relief. I am best positioned to serve clients who are open to learning the benefits of therapy and are committed and ready to make meaningful changes in their lives. While ambivalence about beginning therapy is normal, progress is most prevalent when committing to attending scheduled sessions. This allows us to work together to support you in managing or overcoming the symptoms you are experiencing.
Origin story
What inspired me to become a therapist was seeing how deeply mental health stigma can affect the way people view themselves and whether they feel comfortable asking for help. Too often, people are made to feel that their struggles should be kept private or that seeking support reflects weakness. I wanted to help challenge that stigma by creating a space where people can speak openly about their experiences without a fear of judgment.
Treatment methods
Cognitive Behavioral (CBT)
I utilize Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) in therapy to help clients struggling with anxiety and/or depression learn to identify and challenge unhelpful thoughts. I have utilized CBT in various clinical settings in both group and individual therapy sessions.
Dialectical Behavior (DBT)
I utilize Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) to help clients learn mindfulness, distress tolerance skills, effective interpersonal skills, and emotion regulation. I have experience utilizing DBT as a treatment modality in group and individual therapy sessions, in various clinical settings.
Location
Virtual sessions
Identifies as
Top specialties
Other specialties
Serves
Licensed in
- CaliforniaLicense 119532