Cassie Merten MS, LCPC, LPC

I incorporate somatic work because many emotional patterns are experienced in the body before we can put words to them. Clients may notice tension, shutdown, panic, numbness, or a sense of bracing even when they intellectually know they are safe. I help clients notice these responses with curiosity, build greater awareness of their nervous system, and develop more capacity to stay present with difficult emotions without becoming overwhelmed.

My work is strongly influenced by psychodynamic therapy, particularly the idea that patterns in the present often have roots in experiences and relationships that are not always fully conscious. I help clients slow down and explore recurring emotional and relational patterns, defenses, expectations, and the meaning underneath their reactions. The goal is not simply insight for insight’s sake, but understanding what keeps repeating so there is more freedom to respond differently.

I use an attachment-focused lens to help clients understand how early relationships and past experiences shape the way they connect, protect themselves, and respond to closeness, conflict, rejection, and uncertainty. This can be especially helpful for people who struggle with fear of abandonment, people-pleasing, difficulty trusting, overthinking relationships, or shutting down when they feel overwhelmed. We work toward developing a more secure and grounded relationship with yourself and others.

I work with adults whose past experiences still show up in the present through hypervigilance, shutdown, emotional overwhelm, difficulty trusting, or a sense of always having to be prepared for something to go wrong. My work is trauma-informed, attachment-focused, somatic, and IFS-informed, with attention to both what happened and how your nervous system learned to survive it.

I support clients navigating depression, anxiety, irritability, overwhelm, identity shifts, relationship strain, and the emotional intensity that can come during pregnancy and postpartum. This work can include making sense of changes in mood, attachment, sleep, roles, and expectations while helping you feel more grounded and connected to yourself again.

I often work with people who understand their relationship patterns but still feel stuck in them. You may fear abandonment, overthink interactions, people-please, shut down during conflict, or find yourself repeating dynamics that leave you feeling anxious or unseen. We look at the deeper attachment patterns underneath those reactions and work toward relationships that feel safer, clearer, and more mutual.