LaVerne Merritt-Morrison
LMHC
New York
Experienced addiction counselor using motivational techniques
Continue with LaVerneAt a glance
- Credentials
- LMHC
- License
- LMHC, New York / 003287-1
- NPI
- 1265737449
- Experience
- 30 years
- Languages
- English
- Location
- New York
Details come from information the therapist supplied to BetterHelp. A license can be checked with the state board.
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- Motivational Interviewing
- Client-centered care
- Practical CBT tools
About LaVerne
LaVerne Merritt-Morrison is a licensed mental health counselor (LMHC) based in New York with three decades of experience in clinical work. She trained in clinical counseling and holds a master's degree in clinical counseling with a major in addiction counseling. Her background includes long experience in substance use therapy and work with people who have co-occurring conditions.
She focuses on practical, person-centered care. Sessions tend to start with where a person is now and move at a pace that feels manageable. She combines Motivational Interviewing with cognitive behavioral tools to help clients identify goals and try small, concrete changes.
Merritt-Morrison has extensive experience supporting people with addiction-related concerns, including drug and alcohol issues and compulsive gambling. She also works with anxiety, depression, trauma and abuse, anger, relationship and intimacy concerns, stress, self-esteem, and life transitions. Additional focus areas include attachment and abandonment issues, codependency, personality-related concerns, and impulsivity.
Her practical history includes work in transitional housing with people who have chronic medical conditions and many years helping people with dual diagnosis. That background informs a straightforward approach aimed at building skills and coping strategies that fit everyday life.
She uses her clinical experience to help people set realistic goals and try new steps toward them. The aim is to leave sessions with something to try between visits and a clearer sense of what matters most to each person.
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How these approaches translate to online care
LaVerne uses Motivational Interviewing to help people explore their own reasons for change. This approach emphasizes listening, drawing out a person's goals, and supporting small steps that feel doable. Client-Centered Therapy is about meeting people where they are and following their pace and priorities. That helps create a collaborative atmosphere whether sessions are in person or remote. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) focuses on practical skill building. It offers simple tools for managing anxiety, mood, and unhelpful thinking and can be practiced between sessions.
Finding the right combination of these approaches is part of the work. The therapist will discuss goals, preferences, and what has helped or not helped in the past. Together they will decide which methods to try and adjust as progress or new issues arise.
The biography does not list specific online session formats, so confirm available options before booking. Online therapy can make it easier to fit sessions around work, caregiving, or travel. It can also allow shorter check-ins or sessions that do not require video when that is more convenient. These practical benefits help people carry skills into daily life without making a promise about particular session types. -
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Stress, AnxietyRelationship issuesFamily conflictsIntimacy-related issuesParenting issuesCareer difficultiesDepressionCoping with life changesAdditional focus areas
AbandonmentAntisocial personalityAttachment issuesCo-morbidityCodependencyDrug and alcohol addictionGuilt and shameHIV / AIDSImpulsivityIsolation / lonelinessMidlife crisisNarcissismObsessions, compulsions, and OCDPanic disorder and panic attacksPersonality disordersPrejudice and discriminationProcess addiction (porn, exercise, gambling)Self-loveSex addictionSocial anxiety and phobiaWomen's issuesTherapeutic approaches
Client-Centered TherapyCognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)Motivational InterviewingExperience
30+ years
Listed in
New York
Languages
English
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Frequently asked questions
What concerns does she commonly help with?
She works with addiction-related problems, including drug and alcohol issues and compulsive gambling, plus anxiety, depression, trauma and abuse, anger, relationship and intimacy difficulties, stress, and parenting and career transitions.
How would you describe her therapeutic style?
The style is practical and person-centered. She uses Motivational Interviewing to motivate change and mixes in cognitive behavioral techniques to teach skills and strategies.
What is her professional background?
She has 30 years of clinical experience, including long work in substance use therapy, dual diagnosis care, and transitional housing for people with chronic medical needs.
What are her credentials and where is she based?
She is a licensed mental health counselor (LMHC) in New York and holds a master’s degree in clinical counseling with a major in addiction counseling.
Which languages are supported for sessions?
Sessions are offered in English and international clients are accepted.
What session formats are available?
The original biography does not specify session formats; please confirm current session options with the service before booking.
How does pricing work for sessions?
Cost varies with location and therapist arrangements; sessions use a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.
How do I get started if I want to work with her?
Use the Start Therapy button, complete the short matching questionnaire, and then schedule according to the therapist's availability.
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Online talk therapy is not emergency or medical care. Stopping or cutting down alcohol or other drugs can be unsafe without medical advice. In immediate danger? Crisis numbers