Merle Montalvo
Hopeful, practical care for life transitions
LCSW Mississippi
- Experience
- 23 years in practice
- Focus areas
- Stress, Anxiety, Grief, Anger
- Approaches
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Mindfulness Therapy
- Languages
- English
About Merle
Merle Montalvo is a licensed clinical social worker practicing in Mississippi who helps people navigate stress, anxiety, grief, depression, trauma, relationship and family concerns, career transitions, and compassion fatigue.
Background and approach
With 23 years of experience across outpatient, inpatient, intensive outpatient, home health, and hospice settings, she draws on a broad clinical background to support clients facing life changes, mood disorders, post-traumatic stress, ADHD, and issues like isolation, codependency, and end-of-life concerns.
Her therapeutic style is adaptable and person-centered, shaped by a midlife transition into social work that informs a practical, hopeful perspective. Merle uses an eclectic mix of methods to tailor treatment to individual needs, combining cognitive behavioral techniques with mindfulness practices, motivational interviewing, psychodynamic exploration, and solution-focused strategies.
She frames therapy as a collaborative effort that builds on each person’s strengths and life story. Merle holds an MS and practices as an LCSW (MS LCSW C5031).
She offers services in English and provides sessions by video call, phone, live chat, or text-based messaging. International clients are not currently accepted, and scheduling follows therapist availability.
Approaches and Online Options for Practical Change
Merle commonly uses cognitive behavioral techniques and mindfulness practices in her online work. Cognitive behavioral therapy focuses on identifying and shifting unhelpful thoughts and behaviors to reduce symptoms like anxiety and depression, and it can be useful for coping with life changes and mood concerns. Mindfulness therapy helps people develop present-moment awareness and stress-management skills that support emotional regulation and resilience.She also draws on motivational interviewing to support clients who are weighing change or seeking to strengthen motivation; that approach uses compassionate, goal-focused conversations to clarify values and build commitment. Finding the right mix of methods is part of the collaborative process, and she works with each person to determine which approaches best match their goals, preferences, and circumstances.
Online sessions are offered by video call, phone, live chat, or text-based messaging to provide flexibility for different schedules and comfort levels. These formats make it easier to maintain continuity of care during life transitions and allow clients to access therapy from wherever they are in Mississippi. Merle schedules according to availability and adapts her approach to fit the practical needs of each client.
Frequently asked questions
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Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
23+ years
Licensed
Mississippi
Languages
English