Meet Kara
Kara Merrill, MA, LPC, NCC
For Clients ages 18+
I specialize in improving the quality of your Connection to Yourself and Others
Do you want to feel more present in your life and your relationships without the fears or burdens of your past experiences? Do you value having a more authentic connection with yourself and others instead of being limited by feelings of defensiveness, comparison, and judgment?
I may be a great fit as your therapist if:
- You feel curious about your internal experiences but often find yourself repeating old patterns of thoughts or behaviors.
- You are interested in learning to see your anxious thoughts and intense emotions as signals to what you need rather than as obstacles.
I am passionate about helping you heal your Relationship with Food and Your Body
Do you have a love/hate relationship with food? Do you sometimes feel at war with your body? Do you long to feel less conflicted or consumed by thoughts about what, when, and how much to eat?
You are likely to find our work together to be valuable if:
- You want to stop passing negative judgment on yourself based on food choices or body size.
- You are ready to experience hope and healing in your eating patterns and finally feel more at peace in your body.
I love providing Therapy for Helping Professionals
Are you a therapist, nurse, physician, PT/OT, or educator who pours your heart into your work but sometimes feels exhausted? Do you spend your days investing in the care and thriving of others yet struggle at the end of the day to offer any time or energy to your own needs?
Many of my clients are hardworking, passionate, and deeply caring professionals in the field of education, mental health and medical care. You may connect well with me if you want to bring more of your authentic self into your work without compromising your own well-being or over-identifying with your role as helper or healer.
How I Build Connection
My Experience and Training
I am a Licensed Professional Counselor with more than 16 years of clinical experience in the field of mental health and disordered eating. I have worked in both intensive outpatient and standard outpatient levels of care in a variety of settings before moving into private practice. I received my Bachelor's of Science degree in Human Development and Family Studies at Texas Tech University in 2004 and went on to pursue a Masters of Arts degree in Counseling from Asbury Seminary in 2007.
My clinical approach is largely informed by my training in Internal Family Systems Therapy (IFS), which is a well researched, evidence based model of therapy that effectively leads to lasting healing and transformation. One of the key concepts of IFS is learning to connect with various aspects (parts) of yourself to gain more self understanding and experience more clarity, compassion, and confidence in your life and your relationships.
I am a Level 1 Trained Internal Family Systems Therapist. I feel so passionately about the powerful healing effect of this model of therapy that I am actively seeking advanced training and regular consultation from IFS Institute trainers and leaders in the model. I also utilize other evidence based models of therapy including cognitive behavioral therapy and person centered therapy to best meet your individual needs.
I am an approved supervisor for the Missouri Board of Licensed Professional Counselors. This allows me to do the meaningful work of providing support and supervision to new counselors who are earning their hours toward independent licensure in the state of Missouri.