Merry Walensa, LPCC
California · 17 years in practice
Merry Walensa is a California-licensed counselor who focuses on helping people facing grief, relationship strain, anxiety, and life changes.
License and registration
- LPCC, California
- 322 · expires December 2026
- NPI
- 1457820821 · national provider identifier
- Years in practice
- 17
- Languages
- English
Details are as listed on the therapist's public professional profile. You can check the license with the issuing state board, and the NPI with the national registry.
About Merry
Merry Walensa is a California-licensed counselor who focuses on helping people facing grief, relationship strain, anxiety, and life changes. She aims to make the first step feel manageable and supports people working toward clearer goals and more confidence. Merry brings 17 years of professional experience to sessions and uses an integrative approach.
She draws on existential ideas to help people find meaning, while also using practical tools from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and cognitive-behavioral techniques.
Background and approach
Conversations are down-to-earth and goal-focused. She creates a calm, nonjudgmental space where clients can talk through emotions and worries. Sessions are meant to be a place for honest reflection about values, choices, and what matters most.
Merry encourages small steps and actionable plans that fit daily life. Merry commonly helps people with coping skills for stress, sleep, and addiction concerns, and with issues around parenting, aging, chronic illness, and career transitions. She also addresses sadness, anger, shame, and feelings of isolation.
New clients are asked to schedule a video appointment first before moving to other formats. She recommends keeping appointments or giving advance notice when cancelling. Merry’s style is collaborative and steady, aimed at helping people move from stuck to more intentional living.
Focus areas and approaches
Everything Merry lists on their public professional profile, in their own terms.
- Relationship issues
- Grief
- Self esteem
- Career difficulties
- Coping with life changes
- Stress, Anxiety
- Addictions
- Family conflicts
- Trauma and abuse
- Intimacy-related issues
- Sleeping disorders
- Parenting issues
- Anger management
- Depression
- Coaching
- Compassion fatigue
- Abandonment
- Aging and geriatric issues
- Chronic pain, illness, and disability
- Codependency
- Commitment issues
- Communication problems
- Divorce and separation
- Family problems
- Forgiveness
- Guilt and shame
- Hospice and end-of-life counseling
- Intellectual disability
- Isolation / loneliness
- Life purpose
- Money and financial issues
- Postpartum depression
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Self-love
- Visually impaired
- Women's issues
- Workplace issues
- Young adult issues
Approaches Merry names
- Existential Therapy
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
- Client-Centered Therapy
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
- Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT)
- Mindfulness Therapy
- Motivational Interviewing
- Narrative Therapy
- Solution-Focused Therapy
- Internal Family Systems
Naming an approach is not evidence of training in it. This directory copies what each therapist lists and does not check training records.
Online support
How therapeutic approaches translate to online sessions
Merry blends existential ideas with Acceptance and Commitment Therapy to help people clarify values and take meaningful action. Existential Therapy focuses on questions about meaning, purpose, and personal choice, and it can help when someone feels stuck or uncertain about life direction. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, or ACT, teaches practical skills to accept difficult emotions and commit to small steps that match your values, which can help with anxiety, depression, and stress.Finding the right approach is a collaborative process. Merry will work with each person to identify which methods feel most useful for their goals and preferences. Together they decide whether to emphasize meaning-focused conversation, skills training, or a mix of both.
Online therapy offers flexibility for people with busy schedules or limited mobility. Video calls let conversations feel more like in-person sessions, phone sessions can work when bandwidth is low or a quieter setting is needed, and live chat or text messaging make it easy to check in between appointments or use shorter sessions. These options make it simpler to fit therapy into work, caregiving, or health routines while keeping the focus on practical steps and personal values.
We will earn a commission if you sign up through our link, at no cost to you. It does not change what you pay or the order of the listings.
Questions people ask
What kinds of problems can be addressed in sessions?
Merry helps with grief, relationship and intimacy concerns, anxiety, depression, and stress. She also works on parenting, career changes, addictions, chronic illness challenges, and life purpose questions.
How would you describe her therapeutic style?
Her work is integrative and grounded in existential ideas with practical techniques from ACT and CBT. Sessions combine meaning-focused conversation with hands-on coping skills.
What is her professional background?
She has 17 years of professional experience supporting people through loss, motivation struggles, low self-esteem, and life transitions. Her experience spans clinical and counseling settings in California.
Where is the therapist licensed and located?
She is licensed as an LPCC in California and practices with that credential in her professional work.
Which languages are used during sessions?
Sessions are offered in English only, and international clients are not accepted at this time.
What session formats are available?
Sessions can be done via video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging. New clients are asked to book a video appointment first before using phone or chat.
How are costs handled for therapy?
Costs vary by location and therapist availability; sessions use a subscription model that can be canceled at any time. Exact pricing depends on your matching and region.
What steps should I take to begin working with this therapist?
Start by selecting the Start Therapy button and completing the short matching questionnaire. Then schedule a session based on the therapist’s availability.
More therapists in California
See allGian Sarabia
LMFT
Calm, practical help for life and relationships
- Trauma and abuse
- Intimacy-related issues
- Bipolar
Sherri Kardell
LMFT
Calm guidance through life’s painful transitions
- Relationship
- Family
- Trauma and abuse
Stacey Sugar
MD, LCPC, LPCC
Existential-informed therapist focused on meaning
- Stress, Anxiety
- Relationship
- Family
Is this your profile?
Ask us to correct details or take the page down.
Contact us