PROVISIONALLY LICENSED CLINICAL SOCIAL WORKER & THERAPIST
Merlin Slade
Therapist for Queer & Trans Identity, Trauma & Neurodivergent Minds
Pronouns: Him/Him
Licensure: Provisionally Licensed Clinical Social Worker & Therapist
Location: Rhode Island & Massachusetts
Languages: English
Accepting New Clients: Yes
Sliding Scale: Yes
Insurance: BCBS, United, Tufts, Neighborhood Health Plan, Aetna, United Student Health Resources and Medicaid
About Merlin
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.
Specialties
Gender-affirming mental health
LGBTQIA mental health
Neurodiversity
Areas of Focus
PTSD and C-PTSD
GAD
Social anxiety
Depression
ASD
ADHD
Modalities
CBT
TST (Trauma Systems Therapy)
TF-CBT
Lived Identity
and Experience
Transgender bisexual male
Why I Do This Work
“I do this work because I’ve seen what happens when people are asked to carry their stories alone. My roots are in language, culture, and community care, and I believe support should honor the fullness of who we are, not just what we’ve survived. I’m here to offer space for those who’ve had to shrink themselves, and deserve room to be whole.”
- Merlin Slade
My Approach in Practice
In our sessions, I focus on creating a space where you can show up fully, without pressure to explain everything all at once. Sometimes that looks like pausing to notice what’s happening in your body, staying with what arises, or gently naming the stories that have shaped how you see yourself.
I often draw from Internal Family Systems to help you meet different parts of yourself with curiosity instead of judgment. I might also bring in art-making or visual metaphors, especially if words feel limiting. On other days, we might explore grounding techniques or breathwork to help you stay connected and steady before diving deeper.
My goal is not to direct, but to walk alongside you. I come to this work with a deep respect for the ways people survive, especially when navigating systems that were never designed to support them. I believe therapy should never be about gatekeeping or fixing anyone. Instead, I offer a collaborative space where your feedback matters and your pace is honoured.
What Clients Often Come to Me For
Clients often reach out when they are:
Trying to make sense of who they are becoming
Especially when identity has been shaped by migration, caretaking roles, cultural pressure, or the need to survive in places that didn’t feel safe to be fully seen.
Carrying the weight of stories that weren’t theirs to carry
Including family histories marked by silence, loss, or resilience in the face of racism, poverty, and generational trauma.
Feeling distant from their own needs or bodies
After years of prioritizing others, disconnecting from emotion, or surviving in systems that rewarded perfectionism and punished softness.
Craving slowness, meaning, or rootedness
Especially in the midst of burnout, grief, or relentless change that’s made life feel like a series of to-do lists with no room to breathe.
Managing ADHD, mood shifts, or dual diagnoses
Seeking support that honors their whole story, not just a label or diagnosis.
Wanting to heal without performing
Looking for a space where they don’t have to prove their pain or shrink their complexity just to receive care.
No matter where you’re starting from, I aim to meet you with gentleness, curiosity, and deep respect.
