My name is Ali Merrill and I provide therapy for individuals and couples in El Dorado Hills, CA. I use an integrative approach to psychotherapy, weaving together insights from multiple therapeutic frameworks to meet each person where they are. No single model has all the answers—healing is a deeply personal process that requires an understanding of both conscious and unconscious patterns, relational history, and embodied experience.

My work is grounded in psychodynamic, attachment-based, and somatic approaches, while also incorporating insights from neuroscience, depth psychology, dreamwork, and transpersonal exploration. I specialize in helping people recognize and transform unconscious patterns, particularly those rooted in early relationships and trauma. My approach is informed by contemporary research in trauma, memory, and the nervous system, as well as psychedelic-assisted therapy as a potential avenue for healing.

My Approach

I integrate the following therapeutic modalities:

• Psychodynamic & Depth Psychology – Exploring how past experiences shape present patterns, making the unconscious more conscious to foster insight and change.

• Attachment-Based Therapy – Understanding how early relational dynamics influence emotional and relational patterns, while fostering new, reparative experiences in therapy.

• Somatic Therapy – Recognizing that trauma and emotional distress are held in the body, and using body awareness to release and heal.

• Psychoanalytic & Relational Approaches – Exploring unconscious defenses, reenactments, and core conflicts in a safe and reflective therapeutic relationship.

• Transpersonal & Jungian Psychology – Integrating symbolic, archetypal, and spiritual dimensions of the psyche, including dreamwork and altered states of consciousness.

• Neuroscience & Trauma Research – Applying contemporary understanding of the nervous system, memory, and affect regulation to support deep, sustainable healing.

Our Work Together

Therapy can take different forms depending on your needs. Sometimes, it involves a focused, practical approach to a specific challenge; other times, it is a deeper exploration of long-standing patterns and emotional wounds. Many of us unconsciously reenact old relational dynamics in our lives, and together, we can begin to understand and shift these patterns.

If you are interested in working together, I encourage you to reach out for a free consultation. Therapy is a deeply relational process, and the most important factor is finding a good fit. I welcome the opportunity to see if my approach resonates with you.