Frances Merz

Frances Merz is a Licensed Professional Counselor in New Jersey with more than 19 years of clinical counseling experience. She believes people seek therapy to create change - to improve a life situation, resolve a specific problem, make decisions, or deepen their understanding of themselves and their circumstances. Her approach draws from an eclectic range of counseling techniques across multiple theoretical orientations, with interventions selected to match each client’s strengths and needs.

She has experience working with a wide variety of concerns, including low self-esteem and self-confidence, social anxiety and general anxiety, parenting challenges, career-related issues, and the everyday stresses of life. She enjoys supporting college students and adults navigating life transitions. She specializes in stress, anxiety, self-esteem, coping with life changes, family matters, trauma and abuse, grief, sleep difficulties, depression, compassion fatigue, and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Frances is also interested in working with individuals who are considering weight loss surgery or who are post weight-loss surgery and seeking a counselor familiar with that process. Additionally, she offers support with medical advocacy when clients are facing health issues and need help navigating the medical system, brainstorming questions for providers, and coping with the emotional impact of medical situations. She has personal experience with the medical system dating back to her teenage years and has gathered practical insights she shares with clients.

She does not provide marriage or relationship counseling, and she does not treat serious mental illness in online settings. Frances views counseling as a collaborative effort that requires effort, energy, and courage from the client. She does not use a cookie-cutter approach; instead she tailors treatment methods to the individual so that clients can make the most of their time in therapy.

Frances holds a New Jersey professional counseling license, a credential that reflects the required education, supervised clinical hours, and successful completion of licensing examinations; her license number is 37PC00409500. She is available for counseling Monday through Thursday and typically responds to messages within 24 hours. She looks forward to supporting and empowering individuals as they pursue their therapeutic goals.