Merry McKinnon , LMFT

Merry McKinnon is a California-licensed therapist with 33 years of clinical experience, offering steady support to adults facing a range of emotional and developmental challenges. As an LMFT (Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist), she brings a relational focus to treatment, using a behavioral-cognitive lens to help clients identify patterns of thought and action that contribute to stress, anxiety, or low self-esteem. She has a particular affinity for working with people who have ADHD and learning differences, and she is experienced in recognizing how neurodiverse conditions can appear as depression, social anxiety, isolation, disorganization, or academic and workplace struggles before ADHD is identified.

Merry also has expertise with high-functioning Autism Spectrum conditions - formerly described as Asperger Syndrome - as well as Non-verbal Learning Disorder (NLD) and Central Auditory Processing Disorder (CAPD). Many of her clients seek help for anxiety, grief, motivational blocks, addiction, and distorted self-image. In sessions she aims to build a trusting therapeutic relationship that highlights each person’s strengths while honestly exploring current self-concepts. She believes it is never too late to discover abilities and gifts, and she views helping clients overcome habits and setbacks as an honor and a shared journey.