Casey Merrill
----- Licensed Clinical Social Worker/Therapist
(she/her/hers)
Casey Merrill obtained her Masters in Social Work from the University of Chicago with a specialization in violence prevention. Her Masters-level internship involved providing narrative therapy to gang-affiliated youth on Chicago’s west side. She has a wide variety of experience in the field of social work, including schools, nonprofit organizations, and both pediatric and adult inpatient medicine at Yale New Haven Hospital. Casey’s broad experience makes her uniquely qualified and comfortable working with people of all ages, however, she specializes in working with youth and young adults. She has worked with clients struggling with relationships, self-esteem, race-based inequalities, generational and acute trauma, anxiety and depression, acute and chronic illness, grief, and addiction.
Areas of Expertise
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Relationships, self-esteem, race-based inequalities, generational and acute trauma, anxiety and depression, acute and chronic illness, grief, and addiction.
Casey believes that taking the time to know her clients on a relaxed, human level is the key to therapeutic success. She strives to create a safe space for people to feel comfortable expressing their raw emotions, including their insecurities and flaws. She recognizes that everyone is having their own authentic, imperfect, and unique human experience which cannot be judged. She takes the time to validate this experience and highlight her clients’ accomplishments and resilience while giving them space to process. Casey conducts therapy with the core belief that everyone deserves to be heard.
Her approach to therapy is direct, practical, client-centered, and informal. She attempts to reframe challenges as an opportunity for empowerment and growth while also meeting clients where they’re at. Using Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Psychodynamic Therapy, and Family Systems Therapy, Casey helps clients focus on gradual changes to be made in the present while acknowledging and unpacking the ways in which their past has shaped them.
A note from Casey:
I started my journey of becoming a therapist after having incredibly positive experiences being in therapy myself. I remember the first time I felt genuinely heard and met with compassion by a therapist; my goal is to give that feeling back to others. As I have grown as a professional, I have found tremendous joy in being a person who helps people find their voice again. My style of therapy is down-to-earth, relaxed, and relatable. If I am not working, you will probably find me listening to hip hop/rap music, drawing, reading a true crime novel, or playing video games.
While her office is located in downtown Chicago next to Millenium park for in-person sessions, she also welcomes and serves clients for online therapy from anywhere in Illinois. Clients from the Chicagoland area may choose in-office or online therapy.