Merry McKinnon, LMFT

Merry McKinnon is a California-licensed therapist with 33 years of clinical experience who works with adults facing a range of emotional and practical challenges. She is a LMFT - a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist - and brings long-standing expertise with ADHD and learning differences, including high-functioning Autism Spectrum conditions (formerly Asperger Syndrome), Non-verbal Learning Disorder, and Auditory Processing Disorder. These neurodiverse profiles often surface as depression, social anxiety, isolation, disorganization, or difficulties at school and work, and she helps clients recognize and address those patterns.

Many people who seek her support present with anxiety, grief, motivation blocks, addiction, low self-esteem, or distorted self-image. Her clinical approach centers on relationships, using a behavioral-cognitive lens to build trust and to help clients uncover their existing strengths while honestly examining current self-concepts. She combines practical strategies with relational work to address both thoughts and behaviors in service of meaningful change.

Merry believes it is never too late to discover one’s abilities and potential, and she views therapeutic work as a collaborative journey. She considers it an honor to accompany individuals as they overcome habits and setbacks and move toward greater functioning and self-understanding.

Relational and Cognitive-Behavioral Care Online

Merry McKinnon integrates relational work with cognitive-behavioral techniques to address the thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that accompany anxiety, depression, grief, and challenges related to ADHD and learning differences. Cognitive-behavioral therapy focuses on identifying unhelpful thinking patterns and developing practical coping skills to reduce symptoms and improve daily functioning. Relational therapy emphasizes the therapeutic relationship itself as a tool for change - building trust, exploring self-concepts, and strengthening interpersonal skills to support emotional growth.

Finding the best therapeutic approach is part of the collaborative process. Merry works with each client to determine which techniques fit their goals, needs, and preferences, adjusting the balance of skills work and relational exploration as progress unfolds. Clients are invited to participate actively in shaping their treatment plan.

Online therapy offers flexibility and accessibility for people with busy schedules, mobility limits, or geographic constraints. Sessions can be scheduled as video calls, phone conversations, live chat, or text-based messaging, allowing clients to choose the format that best supports their comfort and consistency. This range of options helps maintain continuity of care while fitting therapy into everyday life.