Merle Montalvo, LCSW

Merle Montalvo is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) licensed in Mississippi with 23 years of experience. She works with people facing stress, anxiety, grief, anger, low self-esteem, depression, relationship and family concerns, trauma and abuse, career transitions, and coping with life changes. She also addresses compassion fatigue and ADHD among other concerns.

Her path into social work began as a midlife transition, and that experience shapes how she approaches change. She describes a practical outlook: change is possible at many stages of life and small steps matter. Her mixed cultural background informs an awareness of both individual differences and common human experiences.

Her clinical background includes work in outpatient and inpatient settings, intensive outpatient programs, home health, and hospice. That range means she is familiar with short-term and longer-term supports, and with challenges at different life stages. She brings experience dealing with end-of-life concerns and aging-related issues.

Merle uses an eclectic approach and adapts methods to what people need. She draws on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, mindfulness, motivational interviewing, psychodynamic ideas, and solution-focused techniques. In sessions she aims to help people identify practical steps, think through reactions, and try different ways of coping.

Practical matters such as career strain, family-of-origin issues, communication problems, and the trouble of loneliness are common topics she addresses. People who want a straightforward, experienced social worker for concrete problem-solving may find her approach useful.

Approaches used in online sessions and how they help