Frances Merz, LPC

Frances Merz is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) practicing in New Jersey with 19 years of experience as a clinical counselor. She approaches therapy with the belief that people seek counseling to create change - whether that means resolving a specific problem, improving a life situation, making an important decision, or gaining clearer self-understanding. Frances tailors her work to each individual's needs, drawing from an eclectic range of techniques and grounding sessions in evidence-based methods such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Solution-Focused Therapy.

Her clinical focus includes stress, anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, ADHD, trauma and abuse, grief, sleep concerns, self-esteem, parenting challenges, career issues, coping with life changes, family concerns, compassion fatigue, and related areas such as social anxiety, seasonal affective disorder, and young adult issues. She enjoys supporting college students and adults navigating transitions and works with clients contemplating or recovering from weight loss surgery. Frances also offers assistance with medical advocacy - helping clients prepare questions for medical providers, strategize interactions with the healthcare system, and cope with the emotional impacts of medical issues - informed by long personal experience with the medical field.

Counseling with Frances is collaborative and non-prescriptive; she does not use a one-size-fits-all approach and chooses techniques based on a client’s strengths, needs, and goals. She does not provide marriage or relationship counseling online, and she does not work with serious mental illness in online settings. Frances is accepting clients in New Jersey and is available Monday through Thursday, typically responding to messages within 24 hours. She practices as an LPC - a Licensed Professional Counselor - and brings nearly two decades of clinical experience to each therapeutic relationship.