DRE MERKEY
Pronouns: they/them
Work schedule: M - F
Therapist in Sacramento, CA
MY APPROACH for therapy with hsps and the LGBTQIA+ community
I intentionally enter spaces with folks in my life with wonderment and grace. Sitting in wonderment allows us to navigate the difficult questions that arise from the complexity of life. Maybe you ask yourself:
How am I supposed to exist in society when I can barely get out of bed?
When did I start feeling ashamed of who I am?
Why am I so hard on myself? I beat myself up about everything!
Feeling stuck, confused, and anxious are all normal experiences we encounter throughout our lives. The reason behind why these feelings surface range based on one’s intersectionalities. As a therapist, I am here to remind you that you are and always have been more than what keeps you stuck.
The moment we are born, we are crafted with an inner gem that reflects our inherent worth. As we journey through life, we internalize stories told to us by society and the people surrounding us, and those stories, like dirt, can obscure our inner gem. The layers of dirt cloud our ability to connect to our inherent worth, which can make us feel lost. Understandably, we start to form a sense of self, relationships, careers, and more around these distorted messages. My role as a therapist is to listen deeply and hold space for you to uncover your gem. After our time together comes to an end, you will have developed tools to continue this work yourself. You are the expert of your own stories.
I like to keep it real and be silly. Therapy doesn't always have to be serious business, although it certainly can be. In our sessions, let’s do the hard work AND remember to play. You are not alone, and your resilience has led you to this point in your journey. It’s my hope that our work together will bring awareness to the parts of you that need to be seen and loved.
“You're not broken you’re are unfinished. You have stories that make many flinch. But you are not the sum of your hurt and pain. Your testimony is a story that’s still being written.”
-Adrian Michael
my specialties include:
ADHD
LGBTQIA+ community
Folks who experience anxiety (panic attack help, social anxiety, acute anxiety, etc.) and/or depression
People struggling with body image
Sense of self and identity development
Highly Sensitive People (HSPs)
Grief/loss
Life transitions and changes
Complex trauma
therapy approaches:
Narrative Therapy
Psychodynamic Therapy
Queer and Feminist Theory
EDUCATION & experience
I studied at Canisius College in New York for my undergraduate degree and received a BA in Sociology, Psychology, and Child, Family and Community Studies. I received my masters at the University of San Francisco (Sacramento branch) in Clinical Psychology.
I have experience supporting transitional aged youth (TAY) who were facing homelessness, and I’ve worked at Stanford Sierra Youth and Families supporting youth and families with a multitude of intersectional identities and concerns. I’ve also worked in private practice for years providing outpatient mental health therapy.
I am a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in Sacramento
I’m Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) #145327, and I provide therapy services in-person in Sacramento and online throughout California.
More about me
In my free time you can catch me dancing with friends, playing bass, creating artful expressions, and thriving in nature. My cat Chuck is my whole heart, even when it’s five in the morning and she decides it’s time to wake me with a playful headbutt!
Pronouns: they/them