Carleen Riley-Mercado, LMSW, LSCSW
Compassionate care for life’s difficult moments
Details
| Name | Carleen Riley-Mercado |
|---|---|
| Credentials | LMSW, LSCSW |
| Based in | Kansas |
| Licensed in | Michigan, Kansas |
| Session format | Online |
| Languages | English |
| Years in practice | 10 |
About Carleen
Carleen Riley-Mercado is a licensed social worker who helps people facing stress, anxiety, depression, addiction, and parenting challenges. She brings 10 years of clinical experience to conversations about self-esteem, relationships, grief, and coping with major life changes. Her work includes support for LGBT clients and people managing trauma, eating or sleeping concerns, and compassion fatigue.
Carleen centers the whole person in sessions, paying attention to values, identity, and belief systems.
Background and approach
She creates a respectful space for people from different backgrounds, including those with Christian faith and those who are non-religious. Sessions focus on practical steps, clearer perspective, and small changes that matter day to day. Her approach draws on Narrative Therapy alongside Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Attachment-Based ideas.
She also uses client-centered conversation and cognitive behavioral techniques when helpful. These methods are used to look at the stories people tell about themselves and to practice new ways of responding. Carleen aims to build trust and a genuine working relationship.
She guides people through topics like guilt, shame, forgiveness, control issues, and trauma recovery at a pace that feels manageable. The emphasis is on compassionate, steady progress rather than quick fixes. She is licensed in Kansas as an LMSW and LSCSW.
People interested in starting can expect direct talk, practical tools, and support aimed at long-term change.
What this therapist works with
Her listing names Stress, Anxiety, Addictions, Parenting issues among the things Carleen works with, alongside the areas below.
- Stress, Anxiety
- Addictions
- Parenting issues
- Self esteem
- Depression
- LGBT
- Relationship issues
- Family conflicts
- Trauma and abuse
- Grief
- Intimacy-related issues
- Eating disorders
- Sleeping disorders
- Anger management
- Career difficulties
- Bipolar disorder
- Coping with life changes
- Compassion fatigue
- ADHD
- Aging and geriatric issues
- Attachment issues
- Blended family issues
- Body image
- Cancer
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Codependency
- Communication problems
- Control issues
- Coping with natural or human-caused disaster
- Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMDD)
- Divorce and separation
- Domestic violence
- Drug and alcohol addiction
- Eating and food-related issues
- Family problems
- Fertility issues
- First responder issues
- Forgiveness
- Gender dysphoria
- Guilt and shame
- Hospice and end-of-life counseling
- Immigration issues
- Infidelity
- Intellectual disability
- Isolation / loneliness
- Life purpose
- Midlife crisis
- Mood disorders
- Obsessions, compulsions, and OCD
- Paranoia
- Personality disorders
- Polyamory / non-monogamous relationships
- Postpartum depression
- Post-traumatic stress
- Process addiction (porn, exercise, gambling)
- Self-harm
- Self-love
- Sexuality
- Somatization
- Women's issues
- Workplace issues
- Young adult issues
Approaches listed
- Narrative Therapy: Named in her listing among her approaches.
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT): Listed by Carleen among the ways she works.
- Attachment-Based Therapy: Listed by Carleen among the ways she works.
- Client-Centered Therapy: Listed by Carleen among the ways she works.
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): Listed by Carleen among the ways she works.
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT): Listed by Carleen among the ways she works.
- Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT): Listed by Carleen among the ways she works.
- Gottman Method: Listed by Carleen among the ways she works.
- Mindfulness Therapy: Listed by Carleen among the ways she works.
- Motivational Interviewing: Listed by Carleen among the ways she works.
- Solution-Focused Therapy: Listed by Carleen among the ways she works.
- Somatic Therapy: Listed by Carleen among the ways she works.
- Trauma-Focused Therapy: Listed by Carleen among the ways she works.
- Systemic Therapy: Listed by Carleen among the ways she works.
- Training stated: This directory copies the approaches a therapist names and does not check training records. Ask Carleen directly how much of the work is narrative and what a session usually looks like.
Narrative Therapy in this listing
Narrative Therapy appears in this therapist's own list of approaches. That tells you it is part of how she works. It does not tell you how much of a session it shapes, and this directory does not check or rate training.
If a narrative approach is what you are looking for, it is worth asking Carleen directly how she uses it and what a session usually looks like.
Online session options
Narrative and ACT approaches for online work
Carleen blends Narrative Therapy with Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Attachment-Based ideas to guide online work. Narrative Therapy focuses on the stories people hold about themselves and looks for alternate narratives that fit better with their goals. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps people notice thoughts and feelings without being driven by them, and it supports action grounded in personal values. Attachment-Based ideas bring attention to how past relationships shape current patterns and safety in relationships.Finding the right approach is part of the work. Carleen will talk with each person about what feels helpful and try different methods to match needs, goals, and preferences. This is a collaborative process where the person and therapist decide together what to focus on.
For practical reasons, confirm available session formats before booking since specific formats are not listed in the profile. Online sessions can make it easier to fit therapy into a busy schedule, avoid travel time, and allow shorter check-ins when needed. They also let people continue work from different locations and maintain regular contact during major life changes.
Common questions about this listing
What concerns does Carleen help with?
She supports people with stress, anxiety, depression, addiction, parenting challenges, and self-esteem issues, plus related topics like trauma, grief, and relationship concerns.
What is her therapeutic style like?
The approach is collaborative and respectful, focusing on personal values and the stories people tell about their lives. Sessions aim for clear steps and compassionate conversation.
How much clinical experience does she have?
She has about 10 years of clinical experience working with a range of concerns from mood disorders to addiction and caregiving stress.
What credentials and location apply to her practice?
She holds Michigan LMSW and Kansas LSCSW credentials and practices in Kansas as noted in her profile.
Which languages are offered for sessions?
Sessions are offered in English.
Can people outside the United States work with her?
International clients are not currently accepted.
How does billing and cost work?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability; sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
How do I begin working with her?
Use the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule according to therapist availability.
Contacting this therapist
Sessions with Carleen are arranged through our partner platform. It asks a few questions about what you are looking for, then shows you the therapists available to you, including Carleen where she has space. Ask about fees, and whether she holds a licence or registration where you live.
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