Marlene Merchant , LMHC

Marlene Merchant is a licensed mental health counselor (LMHC) based in New York with ten years of professional experience supporting people through life changes and emotional challenges. She blends cognitive behavioral therapy, mindfulness therapy, and motivational interviewing to build practical skills and promote steady progress toward clients' goals. Her style is holistic and empathic, offering encouragement to those seeking therapy for the first time as well as to people with prior treatment experience.

Marlene works with adults, adolescents, and young children, with a particular focus on people of color in low-income communities. She addresses a broad range of concerns including stress, anxiety, depression, trauma and abuse, addictions, eating and body-image issues, relationship and family difficulties, grief, sleep problems, parenting challenges, and struggles with self-esteem and life purpose. Additional areas of focus include obsessive or compulsive behaviors, infidelity, isolation and loneliness, and coping after disasters.

She is passionate about helping clients develop sustainable self-care routines and coping strategies so they can better manage stress and anxiety. Committed to each person's growth, Marlene encourages collaborative work that celebrates progress and builds lasting change. Those ready to begin a therapeutic journey can expect a supportive, skill-focused approach aimed at restoring balance and increasing opportunities for joy and well-being.

Therapeutic Approaches and Online Care

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) helps people identify unhelpful thought and behavior patterns and practice alternative ways of thinking and acting. It is often effective for anxiety, depression, stress, and many everyday challenges. Mindfulness Therapy teaches present-moment awareness and gentle acceptance of thoughts and feelings, offering tools to reduce reactivity and improve emotional regulation for issues like stress, trauma responses, and chronic worry. Motivational Interviewing focuses on strengthening a person’s own motivation to make changes by exploring ambivalence and building commitment, which can be especially helpful for substance use, behavioral changes, and goal-setting.

Finding the right approach is part of the therapeutic process. Marlene collaborates with each person to determine which methods fit their needs, goals, and preferences, and she adjusts strategies as progress unfolds. This collaborative stance helps ensure therapy feels relevant and manageable.

Online therapy offers practical flexibility - sessions can happen by video call, phone, live chat, or text-based messaging - making it easier to fit care into busy schedules, manage transportation constraints, and maintain continuity across locations. These options support ongoing work on skills, coping, and recovery in ways that are accessible and adaptable to each person’s life.