Therapists in Alki Beach, Seattle, WA

I specialize in treating teens, adolescents, couples and families dealing with depression, anxiety, relationship instability, academic/screen-time concerns, and substance abuse issues. My clinical experience working in the school system helped me gain expertise in the 504/IEP assessment process. I also have extensive practice working with marriages in crises- I've been able to form alliances with highly conflicted couples. I've also worked with athletes and coaches on performance improvement and career transition.

Hello! I am Maiah Merino, a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, with over 20 years of experience in the field, offering intuitive, solution-focused services. I work with people experiencing major life transitions, healing significant traumas, looking at identity issues or cross-cultural issues. Although, I offer concrete tools for your healing process, I also follow your lead supporting your unique style of learning, while also offering expressive arts, writing, mindfulness, and the natural world as resources.

I enjoy working collaboratively with my clients, helping each to develop the specific and unique tools necessary to cultivate a more satisfying and fulfilling life. My approach is to first actively listen, gaining a thorough understanding of the history of the situation and symptoms, the presenting challenges, and any other influences such as family history, cultural or racial factors, chronic illness, and economic stressors. We will then work together to identify treatment goals and ways to reach them. I work with a broad spectrum of clients ranging in age from 16 and above, offering individual, couples, and family therapy.

You can succeed in life especially in love, marriage, and family! Even though you may be experiencing great pain because of personal trauma and/or relationship conflicts, you can turn things around. However, you may need assistance from a trained, compassionate professional to help you, either as an individual or with your loved ones, to restore trust, friendship, joy, and deep love.

I have a collaborative approach to counseling where I work with clients to help them identify areas for change and to make changes by setting specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time-sensitive goals. To do this, I incorporate evidence-based treatments, such as cognitive-behavioral therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy, mindfulness meditation, and other modalities. Generally, this involves changing or adjusting our relationship to our thoughts and changing behaviors that negatively impact our functioning and get in the way of us living meaningful lives based on our values and what is important to us.

I support all types of couples and individuals seeking to enrich physical and emotional intimacy in their relationships. My work typically involves helping couples transform conflict into connection.

I work with adults who are committed to creating sustainable change in their lives. My approach is based on the belief that every individual possesses their own unique strengths and knowledge that can be accessed to overcome challenges and navigate life's transitions. I take an integrative, mindfulness-based, and strength-focused approach, with the goal of empowering individuals to be their own change agents and achieve optimum emotional and spiritual well-being.

I work with people who want to identify their strengths and make valuable changes in their lives. We are often much more resourceful, adaptable, and stronger than we believe! Much of my work is focused on self-compassion and self-esteem, emotional awareness, relationships, and empowerment. In order to make change, being kind to ourselves is often the first, and sometimes hardest, step! I also aim to help you not only in the relationship with yourself, but also with improving your relationships with others. My goal is to be a guide along the way as you process and tackle your hardest moments and come out with newfound strength.

No matter what you are going through, know that I am here to listen, support you and help you figure it all out! Welcome to the newest generation of self care and mental health- this is easy, accessible, no-stress, stigma free help for whatever you are going through. Feel free to wear your sweatpants, sit on the couch and have a session on your phone or lap top. Prefer in person? No problem, come visit my office in a charming 1900's Craftsman home near the Junction in West Seattle! Check out www.nostressnostigma.com for details!

I believe that therapy is fundamentally about growth, learning to embrace challenges in life, and finding your authentic self. It is my passion to develop a genuine relationship with my clients where we can safely have difficult conversations, resolve conflicts, and experience your authentic self, including your pain.

Parents sometimes face very important questions about their children, including: Does my child have ADHD or a learning disability? Why is my daughter having so many social difficulties? Is my son's defiance a normal part of his development? Is my teenager depressed? Are my child's worries normal for someone her age? Does my preschooler have a developmental delay? Is my child gifted? Is my daughter suffering post-concussion syndrome after her sports-related injury? Psychological and neuropsychological evaluations are used to answer these and other questions about a child’s development and needs.

I believe that we are relational beings, and that health can be cultivated in intentional, honest, and reciprocal relationships that respect and reveal our inherent dignity. Because relationships with others and ourselves hold great promise and power, they can also be the focus of most of our pain as we move through life. The therapeutic relationship we build together acts as a staging ground and microcosm to help you renew the relationships you have with yourself and others in life.