Addiction therapists & psychiatrists in Irvine, CA

Hello and welcome! My name is Shannon Merritt and I am a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist (LMFT). I am based in Southern California and offer telehealth services to clients across the state. My expertise includes supporting individuals through life transitions, managing depression and anxiety, coping with loss, and addressing various mental health challenges. I am also passionate about helping people recover from addiction and/or trauma.

I draw from various modalities and tailor my approach to each individual and their specific needs. I aim to create a safe and supportive environment where clients feel at ease, can build resilience, and ultimately thrive. My communication style is straightforward, calm, and approachable. I offer clear and honest feedback in order to foster clients' wellbeing while developing hope for their future.

In our first session together, we'll start with brief introductions, then dive into the specific challenges you're facing. This will help me create a tailored plan for us to work through in follow-up sessions. Clients can expect to develop valuable insight and gain the tools needed to make meaningful changes in their lives.

I provide empathic, compassionate care in a safe, supportive, and nonjudgmental space where clients feel heard and respected. My goal is to offer therapy you can trust—an environment where you can openly explore your thoughts, challenges, and goals while receiving understanding and supportive guidance.

My goal is to create a space where you feel seen, understood, and supported. I believe mental wellness is an essential part of overall health, and that healing begins by moving from survival to thriving through nervous system regulation, processing past experiences, and strengthening the mind-body connection. Meaningful change and healing happens within a strong therapeutic relationship built on trust, authenticity, and collaboration. Whether you're navigating anxiety, depression, trauma, relationship challenges, addiction, performance anxiety, work-related stress... or simply feeling overwhelmed by life's demands, we'll work together to build insight, process difficult experiences when appropriate, develop practical coping skills, and create meaningful, lasting change.

I draw strongly from decades of my own personal growth work. Psychology is not a theory for me. It is a daily practice, a way of life. I help people focus on what they can control, what is most important currently and how they can work through whatever they are facing.

I am a board-certified Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP-BC) dedicated to providing compassionate, patient-centered mental health care to individuals across California. With a background in both nursing and psychiatry, I specialize in diagnosing, treating, and supporting patients with a wide range of mental health conditions, including anxiety, depression, ADHD, bipolar disorder, and more.

I can understand first-hand how difficult it can be to reach out for help for the first time. I believe in the importance of "practicing what you preach" and I have been the client in the room who needs extra support. I invite you to give yourself a chance, try something new, and gain a healthy perspective on how to address complicated moments in your life.

I'm a psychologist helping clients to navigate transition and overcome destructive patterns. I have expertise in treating anxiety, ocd, adhd, trauma, depression, addiction, recovery, and relationship challenges. I've had a private practice for over 10 years and work with adult clients at all stages of life. I earned my doctorate in Clinical Psychology at California Institute of Integral Studies, with intensive training at the Portia Bell Hume Center, Kaiser, UCSF, VA and the Jung Institute.

I provide compassionate, evidence-based mental health care in a safe, judgment-free space.