Marlene Merchant

Marlene Merchant is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) based in New York with 10 years of experience. She works with adults on concerns such as anxiety, depression, stress, addictions, eating issues, trauma and abuse, and life purpose. Sessions focus on practical goals and next steps rather than labels or diagnoses.

Marlene uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Mindfulness Therapy, and Motivational Interviewing to help people notice patterns, try small changes, and build new habits. She describes therapy in plain terms and helps clients practice skills between meetings. Conversations are goal-focused and aim to help people manage day-to-day challenges.

Her background includes a decade of clinical work supporting people with grief, relationship and intimacy-related issues, parenting strain, sleep problems, and compassion fatigue. She also addresses body image, hoarding, obsessive-compulsive patterns, and issues tied to substance use. Marlene often helps people who feel stuck after life changes or who are questioning what matters next.

In session she uses concrete techniques from CBT to challenge unhelpful thinking and mindfulness strategies to bring attention to the present moment. Motivational Interviewing is used when someone wants to change behaviors but feels unsure or ambivalent. The emphasis is on small, achievable steps linked to the client’s values and daily life.

To begin, prospective clients complete a short matching questionnaire and schedule a first session. Costs vary with location and sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time. Sessions are offered in English and international clients are accepted.

How Marlene’s approaches translate to online work

CBT focuses on identifying and testing unhelpful thoughts and behaviors. Online sessions can include reviewing thought records, practicing behavioral experiments, and planning small actions to try between meetings. This approach is useful for anxiety, low mood, sleep problems, and patterns that keep people stuck.

Mindfulness Therapy helps people become more aware of present-moment experience and bodily signals. In remote sessions this can mean guided attention exercises, short breathing practices, and noticing how skills apply during everyday tasks to reduce reactivity and rumination.

Motivational Interviewing supports people who feel unsure about change. In an online conversation Marlene would listen for what matters to the person, explore ambivalence, and help build confidence for a next step rather than push for immediate commitment.

Finding the best fit is a collaborative process. She will work with each person to choose which approaches to try first based on their goals, preferences, and what feels doable. Sessions can shift over time as progress and priorities change.

The original biography does not list session formats, so confirm current options before booking. Many people find remote sessions help fit therapy into workdays, reduce travel time, and make it easier to check in regularly. Others prefer shorter check-ins by phone when bandwidth or attention is limited. Discuss format preferences during the matching questionnaire and first appointment.