About Me

"What do we live for, if not to make life less difficult for each other?"- G. Eliot

I knew at age 11 that I wanted to be a psychotherapist and was that little kid who other kids came to for my "advice" and compassionate heart. Decades later, I feel so very fortunate to tell you that I am still doing what I believe I was born to do, albeit now as a seasoned clinician in an adult body!  I absolutely LOVE my work and have been a practicing psychotherapist and somatic art therapist (and many other identities as you will learn) since 2001, working with a variety of people with diverse experiences and walks of life. 

I am a licensed psychotherapist (LPC, LMHC) and a registered and board certified art therapist (ATR-BC). I am a certified Hakomi therapist (CHT), and an ACS (Accredited Clinical Supervisor) for psychotherapists as well as a consultant for organizations in areas of my expertise. I am a Somatic Experiencing (SE) and Brainspotting practitioner, a trained and practicing ketamine assisted psychotherapist (KAP) and a certified Death, Dying and Living Coach through the Conscious Dying Institute. As well, I am a shamanic practitioner offering shamanic healings and divinations inspired and taught to me from my north American and West African teachers.

Additionally,  I am a dedicated meditation practitioner, ritualist and ceremonialist. Therefore, I source from this colorfully diverse toolbag of training and knowledge so that I am able to meet the varying needs of my clients. Dedicated to lifelong learning, I continually grow my career skillset.

I began teaching Graduate students to be psychotherapists and art therapists in 2001 at Naropa University in Boulder, CO where I earned my Masters Degree, and I taught there until 2006. I then relocated to Seattle, Washington where I became Core Faculty in the Graduate School of Applied Psychology, Counseling and Family Therapy Department at Antioch University, teaching  mental health counseling psychology and art therapy to graduate students for three inspiring years. 

Personally, I am an artist who loves to paint with lots of color and texture and have my hands in clay as I spin pots on the potters wheel. I love to move my body and I spend lots time in nature. I believe in playing and being silly while valuing working hard. I value the sacred and the profane.  Somatic meditation, mindfulness-based practices and an eclectic blend of spiritual practices informs my life and enhances my work. I live and grow through creativity and beauty while also understanding firsthand what it feels like to endure suffering and living the growth on the other side.  These professional and personal passions and aspects of who I am in tandem with my authenticity and compassionate nature lend themselves to my effective, integrative approach to healing and psychotherapy. I welcome hearing from you in order to see if your needs and my offerings are a good match. Should you wish to schedule a complimentary in-person 20 minute zoom consultation with me, please contact me at merryl@merrylrothaus.com or by telephone at 720.317.4647