LaVerne Merritt-Morrison , LMHC

LaVerne Merritt-Morrison is a licensed mental health counselor (LMHC) based in New York with 30 years of experience. She draws on a long career working with people who face addictions, trauma, anxiety, and major life changes. Her work often centers on women's issues and the practical challenges they bring into therapy. Merritt-Morrison uses a client-centered style that starts with listening and understanding each person's story. She blends motivational interviewing to build readiness for change and cognitive behavioral therapy to address unhelpful thinking and behaviors. Sessions focus on clear steps clients can try between meetings. Her background includes a master's degree in clinical counseling with a major in addiction counseling and decades of hands-on practice with substance use and co-occurring mental health concerns. She has worked in settings that included transitional housing for people with chronic medical conditions and has substantial experience with dual diagnosis situations. People come to her for help with relationship and intimacy concerns, parenting strain, career stress, anger, low self-esteem, and a range of mood issues including depression and panic. She also supports those coping with grief, isolation, shame, and addiction-related problems such as drug and alcohol dependence and compulsive behaviors. In sessions she aims to create a steady, respectful space where clear goals are set and progress is tracked. The focus is on practical strategies, honest conversation, and building skills clients can use in daily life. She works collaboratively to help people move toward the changes they want.

Therapeutic approaches and online care that fit your life

Client-centered therapy puts the person and their priorities first. The therapist focuses on understanding your experience, offering empathy, and shaping sessions around what matters to you. This approach helps when you need steady support and a therapist who listens before suggesting steps.

Cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT, looks at the links between thoughts, feelings, and actions. It offers practical tools to change unhelpful thought patterns and to try new behaviors. CBT can be useful for anxiety, depression, panic, and habits tied to addiction or compulsions.

Motivational interviewing is a conversational method to build readiness for change. It helps people resolve uncertainty and find their own reasons to act, which is helpful when tackling substance use, codependency, or lifestyle shifts.

Finding the right approach is collaborative. The therapist will work with the client to identify goals, try methods that fit those goals, and adjust as needed. Clients and therapist check progress together and choose what helps most.

Online therapy offers flexible ways to meet. Video calls let you work face to face from wherever you are, phone sessions use less bandwidth for a simpler check-in, live chat allows short real-time conversations, and text-based messaging supports ongoing reflection between sessions. These options make it easier to fit therapy into a busy schedule.