About Afsha
Afsha Merchant helps people facing stress, anxiety, depression, relationship problems, trauma and abuse, and low self-esteem. She writes and listens with care to understand what feels most urgent. Her first goal is usually to make the situation easier to tolerate so families and individuals can think more clearly about next steps.
Sessions focus on practical tools and clearer communication. Afsha uses straightforward strategies that people can try between sessions. She pays attention to how emotions show up in the body and how patterns of thinking and behavior keep problems going.
Background and approach
Her background includes seven years of clinical experience and she holds an IL LCPC credential, which is the licensed clinical professional counselor designation in Illinois. Afsha brings cultural awareness to her work and speaks English, Spanish, Hindi, and Urdu to better connect with diverse clients. Afsha blends several therapeutic approaches to match each person’s needs.
She may use Cognitive Behavioral Therapy techniques to change unhelpful thinking, Dialectical Behavior Therapy skills to manage intense emotions, and somatic practices to notice bodily responses. She also draws on relationship-focused methods when communication or connection is the main concern. People who meet with her can expect a collaborative, down-to-earth style.
She asks practical questions, offers experiments to try between appointments, and helps people set small goals. To begin, she asks clients to share what matters most so therapy can fit real life.
How Afsha’s approaches translate to online therapy
Afsha commonly uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Somatic Therapy when people work remotely. CBT focuses on spotting and changing unhelpful thoughts and behaviors, which translates well to online sessions with worksheets and home practice. Somatic Therapy guides attention to bodily signals and simple body-based exercises that can be practiced during or between virtual meetings.Finding the right approach is a collaborative process. Afsha will talk with the client about goals and preferences, try methods that match those goals, and adjust the plan based on what helps. She frames therapy as a shared project where tools are tested and refined together.
Confirm current session options before booking, since formats are not specified in the biography. Online work can make it easier to fit therapy into a busy life by reducing travel time, allowing shorter check-ins when needed, and letting people join from a convenient location. It can also support continuity when schedules or circumstances change, while keeping the focus on building skills and improving everyday functioning.
Questions people ask
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What is her general approach in sessions?
How much clinical experience does she have?
What credentials and region are listed?
Which languages are supported for sessions?
Can international clients work with her?
How much do sessions cost and how are they billed?
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What this counselor works with
Most often
- Stress, Anxiety
- Relationship issues
- Trauma and abuse
Also listed
- Abandonment
- Adoption and foster care
- Attachment issues
- Autism and Asperger Syndrome
- Avoidant personality
- Blended family issues
- Body image
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Chronic pain, illness, and disability
- Codependency
- Communication problems
- Control issues
- Depression
- Divorce and separation
- Domestic violence
- Family of origin issues
- Family problems
- Fatherhood issues
- Fertility issues
- Guilt and shame
- Immigration issues
- Intellectual disability
- Isolation / loneliness
- Jealousy
- Money and financial issues
- Multicultural concerns
- Post-traumatic stress
- Prejudice and discrimination
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Self esteem
- Self-love
- Sexual assault and abuse
- Sexuality
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Visually impaired
- Women's issues
- Workplace issues
- Young adult issues
Therapeutic approaches
- Experience
- 7 years
- Licensed
- Illinois
- Languages
- English, Spanish, Hindi, Urdu