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Spotlight: Merike Andre-Barrett, LMHC

posted at 2026-06-29 10:55:00
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I have had the privilege of being a therapist for 15 years. While I've worn many hats during that time, and have grown through my experience working in inpatient settings, mental health clinics and doing crisis outreach work in the community, I have been happiest in my private practice in Ithaca for the last 10 years. When I moved to the Ithaca region 14 years ago I didn't know how much I would be resourced by the the natural beauty around me - I'm so grateful to be surrounded by water, rocks, trees and the wildlife whose home we share.
 
In my work as a trauma therapist, I have witnessed the depths of tremendous heartache, loss, pain, grief, confusion and loneliness. Alongside this, I have also witnessed the beautiful and transformative innate ability that humans have to heal. In this healing journey, I act as a supportive mirror, acknowledging a client's own inner wisdom, supporting them in trusting the pace of their own process, celebrating growth and recovery of agency, self-awareness and self-compassion along the way. I honor the connection between mind and body and the complexity of intersecting identities and endeavor to bring a spirit of collaboration, curiosity, creativity and openness into each of my sessions. I am trained in EMDR, IFS, MBSR and somatic approaches and use these responsively and creatively with each client I work with. I've felt a calling to support folx navigating complex trauma histories, experiences of marginalization and my own LGBTQ+ community.
 
Two years ago I added psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy as a modality to my practice after completing an intensive training program with the Integrative Psychiatry Institute. Since then, have been deeply moved by what this work can offer - witnessing people who've internalized hopelessness beginning to experience themselves differently, rediscovering openness and curiosity. The courage, self-compassion and vulnerability I witness in my clients keeps me passionate about the work. Together, we hold a dialectic between acceptance and change. What I've seen time and time again in myself and others is the way that self-acceptance and self-love can transmute pain and suffering into change and growth.
 
As we each navigate a more and more divisive world, I hear people speak of a well of loneliness - a loneliness in which they've personalized their pain and no longer have access to community in which these feelings can be shared and processed. I see this isolation and divisiveness as a major challenge of our times and hope that our field can continue to think creatively about how to address it without further entrenching this through individualist approaches. I am hopeful though know it is hard to predict what lies ahead. I am grateful to the collaborations in our community that aim to meet these challenges with vulnerability, dedication and an open heart.