Carleen Riley-Mercado, LMSW, LSCSW
Compassionate therapist for life's hard moments
Book with CarleenWorks with
- Anger
- Stress, Anxiety
- Addictions
- Parenting issues
- Self esteem
- Depression
How Carleen works
Practical facts
- Credentials
- LMSW, LSCSW
- Licensed in
- Michigan, Kansas
- Years in practice
- 10
- Languages
- English
- Session format
- Online, through our partner platform
About Carleen
Carleen Riley-Mercado is a licensed social worker who helps people facing stress, anxiety, depression, addiction, and anger. She also supports those coping with relationship strain, parenting concerns, low self-esteem, grief, and life transitions. Carleen brings ten years of clinical experience and works from Kansas as part of a multi-state practice background.
Carleen centers the whole person in sessions, including values, beliefs, and identity. She respects faith backgrounds, LGBTQ+ identities, and a range of personal perspectives.
Background and approach
Sessions aim to be direct and compassionate so people can talk through what matters most to them. Her work often addresses guilt, shame, forgiveness, and control issues. She also focuses on trauma recovery, workplace stress, and building self-love.
Practical skills and steady emotional support are used together to help people navigate difficult moments. Carleen uses a mix of clinical approaches tailored to each person. She draws on acceptance and commitment ideas, cognitive techniques, attachment perspectives, and emotion-focused methods when appropriate.
Dialectical strategies are also part of her toolkit for managing strong emotions. People who meet with Carleen can expect a collaborative process. She aims to build trust and work at a pace that feels manageable.
The goal is clearer coping strategies and more confident decision making over time.
What Carleen works with
Everything Carleen lists, in the therapist's own terms. Anger is the reason this directory exists; the rest tells you what usually sits alongside it in Carleen's practice.
- 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 Carleen lists
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
- Attachment-Based Therapy
- Client-Centered Therapy
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
- Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT)
- Gottman Method
- Mindfulness Therapy
- Motivational Interviewing
- Narrative Therapy
- Solution-Focused Therapy
- Somatic Therapy
- Trauma-Focused Therapy
- Systemic Therapy
Listing an approach is not evidence of training in it. This directory copies what each therapist names and does not check training records.
How her approaches translate to online work
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps people notice difficult thoughts and feelings without getting overwhelmed, then take steps that match their values. It can be useful for anxiety, stress, and decisions about life changes. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) focuses on spotting unhelpful thoughts and trying different behaviors to reduce distress and build coping skills. It often helps with depression, anxiety, and anger management. Attachment-Based Therapy looks at how early relationships shape current patterns and helps people change how they connect and respond in close relationships.Finding the right approach is usually a collaborative process. The therapist will talk with the client about needs, goals, and preferences and suggest which techniques to try. Adjustments are made as progress is tracked so the plan fits the person rather than the other way around.
Practical benefits of working online include easier scheduling and fitting sessions into a busy week. Online work can make it simpler to keep appointments when travel or time is limited, and it can allow shorter check-ins when needed. Because session formats are not specified here, confirm which online options are offered before booking so you know what to expect and can plan around your day.
Questions people ask about Carleen
What concerns does she help with?
She supports people with stress, anxiety, depression, anger, addictions, and related issues like grief and relationship strain.
What is her therapeutic style?
Her style is collaborative and direct, focusing on practical skills alongside emotional understanding in a respectful manner.
How much clinical experience does she have?
She has ten years of clinical experience working with people through a variety of life challenges.
What credentials and location are listed?
She holds LMSW and LSCSW credentials and practices from Kansas as part of her multi-state work history.
Which languages are supported and can international clients join?
Sessions are offered in English and she is not currently accepting international clients.
What session formats are available?
Current session formats are not specified here, so please confirm the available options before booking.
How is cost handled?
Cost varies by location and therapist availability; sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
How do I begin working with her?
Select the Start Therapy button, complete the short matching questionnaire, and schedule according to the therapist's availability.