Carleen Riley-Mercado, LMSW, LSCSW

Carleen Riley-Mercado is a licensed social worker who helps people facing stress, anxiety, depression, addiction, and parenting challenges. She brings ten years of clinical experience and aims to make therapy straightforward and respectful. People come to her for help with self-esteem, grief, relationship and intimacy concerns, and managing life changes.

She centers care on each person's values, beliefs, and identity. That means conversations consider faith, cultural background, and sexual orientation when relevant. Sessions focus on practical steps such as handling strong emotions, building better routines for sleep and eating, and reducing habits that cause harm.

Clinically she draws on several approaches to tailor work to the person in front of her. Treatment may include skills for managing difficult thoughts and behaviors, attention to how early relationships shape current patterns, and a focus on the person’s own goals and strengths. Therapy typically moves at the client’s pace while also setting small, achievable goals.

Carleen works with people dealing with trauma, codependency, caregiving stress, and career burnout. She also supports those navigating chronic health concerns, aging and geriatric stress, and recovery from domestic violence or substance misuse. Her style is direct, compassionate, and practical.

Carleen holds Michigan Licensed Master Social Worker and Kansas Licensed Specialist Clinical Social Worker credentials. She practices in Kansas and conducts sessions in English. If you want to explore therapy, she asks that you start with the site’s matching steps to find a good fit.

How therapeutic approaches guide online care

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, often called ACT, helps people notice difficult thoughts without letting those thoughts control actions. It focuses on identifying personal values and taking small steps toward them, which can help with anxiety, depression, and coping with health changes.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, teaches practical skills to change unhelpful thinking and behavior patterns. It is useful for managing anxiety, mood problems, sleep and eating concerns, and addiction-related behaviors.

Finding the right approach is part of the work. The therapist will collaborate with each person to figure out which methods fit their goals, needs, and day-to-day life. That conversation can include mixing strategies from different approaches when that feels helpful.

Confirm current session options before booking since formats are set by the therapist. Online work can make scheduling easier and can fit into a busy week. It can allow shorter check-ins, sessions without video when that is preferable, and a way to keep continuity of care during life transitions. These practical benefits often help people maintain steady progress while balancing everyday responsibilities.