Merlin Slade
Adolescent & Adult Therapist
Pronouns: He/him
Licensure: Therapist
Location: Rhode Island & Connecticut
Language: English
Fee:
Sliding Scale: Available
Insurance:
Accepting New Clients: Yes
Specialties:
Gender-affirming mental health
LGBTQIA mental health
Neurodiversity
ABOUT ME
Merlin is a trauma-informed therapist with a strong background in intersectionality, LGBTQIA studies, and social justice. Prior to graduating with an MSW from the Silberman School of Social Work and becoming a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in the state of Rhode Island, Merlin had been volunteering as a facilitator for transgender and nonbinary discussion group sessions. Through this work, he found that he adored supporting others in processing their own relationships to gender and sexuality, identifying the impact of systemic oppression on their own self-esteem and interactions with others, and reframing these harmful narratives to build self-empowerment and family acceptance.
Merlin’s specialties include work with adolescents and adults, queer and trans populations (including those often excluded from conversations, such as aro-ace, bi, pan, nonbinary, and intersex individuals), neurodiverse populations, and people who’ve had long-term mental health struggles. He supports clients in developing self-confidence, reducing stress and anxiety, advocating for needs, asserting boundaries, and connecting to supportive environments. He also often works with family members to help them develop understanding and process their own feelings as family relationships shift over time. Merlin has training in CBT, trauma-focused CBT, Trauma Systems Therapy, and CBITS, and he has experience with the foster system and with school-based mental health. With a B.F.A in Illustration, Merlin often incorporates visual arts and storytelling into his therapeutic work.
Merlin believes very strongly in the power of therapy to help others. However, he is also well aware of how therapy has been used as a tool to control many marginalized communities and gatekeep access to resources. As such, he strives to have a collaborative, client-centered approach in his work, and he is always willing to receive feedback and make necessary changes.
Why I Do This Work
“I chose this work because I have seen how healing deepens when it is rooted in culture, language, and lived experience. My passion is in creating safe spaces for people whose stories and identities may not have always been honored.”
— Merlin Slade
My Approach in Practice
In our sessions, I might invite you to pause and check in with your body, noticing any sensations or emotions present in the moment. From there, we could explore what comes up using Internal Family Systems, perhaps meeting and listening to different parts of yourself with curiosity and compassion. Some days, we might use art-making or narrative exercises to give voice to experiences that feel difficult to put into words. Other times, somatic grounding or breathing practices can help you feel safe and regulated before moving into deeper work. My goal is to co-create a space where you feel supported to explore at your own pace, with room for both vulnerability and growth.
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CBT, TST, TF-CBT
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PTSD and C-PTSD, GAD, social anxiety, depression, ASD, ADHD
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How We Can Work Together
Clients often reach out when they are:
Facing significant life changes and want to build stability and supportive routines.
Exploring or reconnecting with their identity, including cultural roots, values, and self-understanding.
Feeling stuck in unhelpful patterns and wanting to uncover triggers and practice new ways of responding.
Living with the effects of trauma or dissociation and seeking skills for nervous system regulation and resilience.
Navigating eating disorders or disordered eating and wanting a more compassionate, sustainable relationship with food and their body.
No matter the reason, my focus is on creating a collaborative process that moves at your pace and honors your lived experience.