Let's make sense of this together.
Virtual Mental Health Counseling in New York State
The food is what everyone sees. Underneath it is usually something harder to name: control, fear, grief, a need that hasn't been met.
That's the part we work on.
I help individuals and families build a relationship with food, their bodies, and themselves that supports lasting recovery. Recovery is often an act of rebellion against diet culture and the systems that profit from our struggle, and you don't have to wage it alone. If this sounds like the kind of support you've been looking for, welcome.
It’s hardly ever about food.
What I Do
Hi, I'm Karissa.
I'm a licensed mental health counselor. I spend my days with kids, teens, adults, and families working through eating disorders, anxiety, depression, and the harder seasons of life.
In our work together, you set the goals and we chase them down side by side. I'll bring clinical expertise. You bring the kind only you have: what your eating disorder responds to, what your family needs, what your own life is asking of you right now.
I work from a trauma-informed and systems-informed place, because none of us struggles in a vacuum. We'll challenge the beliefs that have stopped serving you and build steadier ones in their place. My confidence in the room is what makes space for your honesty, and whether you need directness or gentleness, I'll always show up with kindness.
Get to know meYou are the expert on your own eating disorder. I'm the expert on eating disorders. Together, we figure out what quiets it, what makes it loud, and what helps you take your life back.
Karissa Mercado, LMHC
Who I Help
You don't have to have it figured out to reach out.
Individuals
Kids, teens, and adults living with an eating disorder, plus adults navigating anxiety, depression, relationships, and life transitions.
Families
Parents and families supporting someone with an eating disorder, who need to understand it, respond to it, and not lose themselves in it.
Transitions
People heading off to college, coming back, or standing at the edge of a change, trying to figure out who they are on the other side.
What I Believe
It's hardly ever about the food.
Recovery is an act of rebellion against diet culture.
I'm the expert on eating disorders. You're the expert on yours.
Confidence in the room makes space for honesty.
Lasting recovery is real, and possible.
No one does this alone.
Ready when you are.
Fill out the contact form and I'll get back to you within 24 hours. We'll start with a free phone consultation to see if we're the right fit. No pressure, no commitment, just a conversation.