Merilee Lovejoy

Hello! I am Dr. Merilee Lovejoy. I am licensed in the state of California as a clinical psychologist. I have over 13 years of experience providing therapy to clients in various settings from private practice, to outpatient, to inpatient settings. I have experience helping clients with stress and anxiety, depression, relationship issues, family conflicts, and addictions.

My approach

I am integrative in my approach to therapy. Client-focused, psychodynamic, mindfulness-based, and family systems approaches are a few of modalities that inform my work with clients.

My focus

I have over 13 years of experience providing therapy to clients in various settings from private practice, to outpatient, to inpatient settings. I have experience helping clients with stress and anxiety, depression, relationship issues, family conflicts, and addictions. Some of the individuals I work with are going through life transitions, or need support with workplace-related issues, or career decisions. What I do best is help clients heal emotionally at deep levels so that they feel freed up to live from their authentic self, find fulfillment in their lives, and fulfill their purpose.

My communication style

I am an accepting person, who welcomes my clients, and wants them to feel comfortable during our sessions. I believe in treating everyone with respect, sensitivity, and compassion. I will tailor our dialogue and treatment plan to meet your unique and specific needs.

My journey to mental healthcare

By age 9 I had a sense that I would eventually become a therapist. I didn't have a name for this profession, but I could see myself doing this type of work. By that time I admired professionals who helped people with personal development. During college, I really enjoyed my psychology, literature/writing, and integrated studies classes. I found the volunteer work that I did at a psychiatric hospital where I worked with individuals who were diagnosed with chronic mental illness to be very fulfilling. This profession seemed like a perfect fit for me. I really enjoy supporting individuals on their healing journeys.

My goals for you

I believe that my clients know themselves best, and that in general when individuals have all supportive elements present in their lives, they will naturally be motivated to learn, and grow, and accomplish their goals. I discuss goal setting with my clients, and find out what goals they want to accomplish related to the various issues they may be dealing with in their lives. Together we can come up with goals that work best for them.

My first session with you

During a first session with me, my clients can expect to have the opportunity to talk about whatever they want to talk about. I usually ask my clients what brought them to therapy, and what they hope to get out of therapy. During this session, my clients have the opportunity to ask me any questions about therapy, my background, and my approach to therapy. They can expect to feel comfortable. I often provide my clients with very helpful resources during the first session so that they have a practical reference for our work together.