Amberleah Mercado, M.S., is a Registered Mental Health Counselor Intern with advanced training in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) and over eleven years of clinical experience. A U.S. Navy Veteran, she earned her Master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi and is currently completing her doctoral dissertation at Walden University after finishing all doctoral coursework and residencies. She has completed formal practicum and internship training in both her master’s and doctoral programs and holds two EMDR certifications: EMDR Complete Therapist Training and EMDR History and Preparation from Compassion Works.
Amberleah has extensive experience working with adolescents and adults in inpatient, outpatient, and community-based settings. She provides treatment for a broad range of concerns, including PTSD, trauma, OCD, anxiety, phobias, depression, grief, loss, ADHD, low self-esteem, relationship challenges, parenting concerns, and issues affecting veterans and military families. Her therapeutic approach draws from EMDR, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Solution-Focused Therapy, Person-Centered Therapy, Gestalt therapy, Motivational Interviewing, and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), allowing her to tailor treatment to each client’s unique needs and goals.
In addition to her clinical work, Amberleah has a strong background in teaching and professional scholarship. She has taught psychology courses at Tallahassee Community College and has supervised and instructed graduate-level counseling students while pursuing her doctoral degree. She has presented on online gaming addiction among youth, participated in suicide assessment awareness panels, and contributed research and publications—including a book chapter in Responding to Critical Cases in School Counseling and manuscripts addressing online gaming addiction in children and adolescents.
Amberleah is passionate about helping clients break old patterns, build effective coping skills, and cultivate emotional resilience. She believes therapy is a collaborative and transformative process that requires vulnerability, courage, and trust. Her clinical philosophy emphasizes empowerment, personal growth, and long-term well-being, ensuring clients feel supported and confident as they work toward healing and meaningful change.