Leo O Merino, MA, LPC

About

Counselor in Phoenix, AZ. Works with Addiction, Alcohol Use and Anxiety. Takes Aetna, Cigna, United Healthcare and other plans. Not taking new clients right now.

Areas of expertise

• Anxiety
• Bisexual
• Coping Skills
• Depression
• Divorce
• Grief
• Lesbian
• Stress Management
• Trauma and PTSD

Types of therapy

• Acceptance and Commitment (ACT)Helps people make room for difficult thoughts and feelings instead of fighting them, and commit to actions that fit what matters to them.
• Art TherapyUses drawing, painting or other art-making to express and explore feelings, with a therapist trained in art therapy. No artistic skill is needed.
• Cognitive Behavioral (CBT)A structured, practical therapy that looks at how thoughts, feelings and actions affect each other, and teaches skills for changing unhelpful thinking and habits.
• EMDREye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. A structured trauma therapy in which a person recalls distressing memories while following side-to-side eye movements or taps.
• ExistentialExplores life's big questions, such as meaning, freedom, choice, loneliness and death, and how they connect to a person's struggles.
• Experiential TherapyUses activities such as role-play, movement, art or guided imagery to work through feelings in the moment, not only to talk about them.
• GestaltFocuses on the here and now, and on noticing what a person is feeling and doing in the moment, often through experiments such as role-play.
• HypnotherapyUses guided relaxation and focused attention (hypnosis) to help with things such as anxiety, pain, sleep or habits like smoking.
• JungianBased on Carl Jung's ideas. Explores dreams, symbols and the unconscious to help a person become more whole.
• Mindfulness-Based (MBCT)Combines mindfulness practice, paying attention to the present moment without judgment, with ideas from cognitive therapy.
• Person-CenteredA warm, non-directive approach: the therapist listens with empathy and without judgment, and trusts the person to find their own direction.
• Rational Emotive Behavior (REBT)A form of cognitive therapy that finds rigid beliefs, such as 'I must be perfect', and replaces them with more flexible ones.
• Solution Focused Brief (SFBT)A short-term, goal-focused approach that spends less time on problems and more on what already works and the small steps toward what the person wants.
• Strength-BasedFocuses on the strengths, skills and resources a person already has, and builds on them to meet challenges.
• Trauma FocusedTherapy for people affected by trauma. Puts safety and pacing first, and helps process painful memories so they have less hold on daily life.

More details

Accepting new clients

No

Specialties

Addiction, Alcohol Use, Anxiety, Behavioral Issues, Bisexual, Codependency, Coping Skills, Depression, Divorce, Domestic Violence, First Responders, Grief, Impulse Control Disorders, Lesbian, LGBTQ+, Mood Disorders, Sexual Addiction, Stress, Substance Use, Suicidal Ideation, Teen Violence, Transgender, Trauma and PTSD, Video Game Addiction

Insurance

Aetna, Anthem, Carelon Behavioral Health, Cigna and Evernorth, Optum, Oscar Health, Oxford, Quest Behavioral Health, United Healthcare Medicare Adv, UnitedHealthcare UHC | UBH

Fees

Individual sessions $150; sliding scale available

Ages

Preteen, Teen, Adults, Elders (65+)

Works with

Individuals

Communities

Queer Allied

Ethnicity

Hispanic and Latino, Native American

Religion

Other Spiritual or Religious Affiliations

Languages

English

Gender

Male

Education

Ottawa University

Years in practice

8

Education & qualifications