Merisa (Em) is a Registered Associate Professional Clinical Counselor (#APCC 19976) providing holistic, trauma-informed counseling to adolescents and adults in Santa Fe Springs and Cerritos, California. Practicing under the supervision of Marina Edelman, LMFT (#51009), Chandra Tracy LMFT (#106343) & Åsa Woodman, LMFT (#46670), she offers online and phone-based therapy that integrates mind, body, and spirit. With a deep commitment to whole-person healing, Merisa supports clients who feel unheard, chronically overwhelmed, or dismissed despite being told “everything is fine.” Her approach helps clients reconnect with their bodies, regulate their nervous systems, and rebuild meaningful relationships. Merisa has completed extensive training in somatic and integrative practices, including certifications as a Somatic Mind-Body Healing Practitioner, Certified Somatic Reprocessing Practitioner, Advanced Somatic Meditation Teacher & Practitioner, Certified Meditation Guide, EFT/TFT Tapping Master Practitioner, and training in vagal toning techniques for trauma recovery. She also holds professional development certificates in hypnosis, gut health, hormone health, nutrition, and strength and fitness fundamentals, enhancing her ability to offer informed psychoeducation on how lifestyle factors influence emotional well-being. Drawing from her own experiences with anxiety, overwhelm, and nervous system dysregulation, she blends somatic awareness, mindful living, breathwork, psychodynamic therapy, relational approaches, and wellness-informed guidance. While not a medical doctor, she provides clear, accessible information to help clients understand the connections between mind, body, and lifestyle.

If you’ve been told “everything looks fine,” yet you still feel exhausted, in pain, or emotionally overwhelmed, I want you to know... you’re not imagining it, and you don’t have to navigate it alone. Your body holds onto what your mind has learned to push through, and chronic illness, autoimmune stress, pain, or challenges with addiction or substance use can leave you feeling disconnected or unheard. I’m Merisa (Em), and I provide compassionate, holistic therapy that honors your whole experience—mind, body, and spirit. My approach integrates somatic healing, nervous system regulation, trauma-informed care, and evidence-informed practices to help you reconnect with your body, manage stress and pain, and build coping strategies for chronic illness or substance use. Through advanced training in somatic reprocessing, mind-body healing, meditation, EFT/TFT tapping, hypnosis, vagal toning, and wellness-informed guidance in gut health, hormones, nutrition, and movement, I help you understand the connections between lifestyle, body, and emotional well-being. While I don’t provide medical or nutritional treatment, I provide psychoeducation that empowers you to support your own healing. If you’re ready to release stored stress, manage chronic illness or pain, rebuild healthy relationships, or navigate addiction or substance use with support, I’m here to walk with you, gently, collaboratively, and without judgment. You deserve to feel regulated, resilient, and whole. I’d be honored to support you on that journey.