Merfat is a Provisionally Licensed Professional Counselor (P-LPC) from Vicksburg, MS. She is pursuing her full license as a therapist at Count It All Joy Counseling. Merfat aims to reduce the stigma surrounding mental health by making it more widely accepted. The work she does at Count It All Joy is a stepping stone in that mission.
Merfat has a master’s degree in Mental Health Counseling from Mississippi College in Clinton, MS. During her time in college, she was influenced by her own life experiences to pursue the mental health field. Merfat is also bilingual, speaking both English and Arabic. Her experience at Count It All Joy has furthered her education by opening her mind to the possibilities of different problem-solving approaches. She's grown her skillset to better help clients navigate how to set boundaries, reduce codependency habits, and use coping skills for stress and anxiety.
Merfat is very adaptable when helping clients heal. Her educational background has influenced her understanding of how to better assist individuals. While she has established certain areas of expertise in counseling, she adjusts to meet her clients' needs as they evolve. Her sessions help clients struggling with relationship dynamics understand how to set boundaries in place. She also specializes in helping with related issues like reducing codependency and using coping skills for stress and anxiety.
“I'm not here to tell you what to do—I'm here to help you discover and use your strengths to get there.”
She takes pride in helping her clients transform from feeling emotionally exhausted to gaining self-trust and forming healthier relationships. With her help, clients have transformed their behaviors by understanding their triggers and patterns in a more mindful way. She aims to help others break unhealthy cycles and feeling stuck in loops to improve their mental wellbeing. Merfat helps individuals know how to set better boundaries by using evidence-based techniques and self-awareness tools while regularly checking in on their progress.
Merfat takes a client-centered, compassionate approach to help clients form boundaries within their relationships. She aims to support individuals by teaching them coping skills for anxiety and stress. She regularly assesses her clients’ anxiety and stress levels to ensure that the weekly sessions are helping them grow.
“We collaborate on long-term goals and use each session to work through what's most relevant to you right now, because I want to emphasize the collaborative aspect.”
If clients have trouble adjusting to practices, Merfat willingly modifies the plan to help them stay on track with something that works for them. Using Gestalt techniques and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), Merfat helps individuals become aware of their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors in the present moment. She uses these methods to help clients stay with their feelings, understand them deeply, and process how they show up in their lives and relationships. This, in turn, helps them break codependent patterns and better apply coping skills for stress and anxiety.