About Cortney
Cortney Merritt, MD, LCSW-C, offers focused, practical therapy for people facing stress, anxiety, grief, and depression. She writes plainly and listens closely to help clients take small, manageable steps toward feeling steadier. Cortney emphasizes building self-compassion and clearer coping habits rather than quick fixes.
She creates an affirming, respectful space for people to talk about what matters most. That may include strengthening self-worth, working through guilt or shame, or improving communication.
Background and approach
Cortney also supports women who want to address sexuality, identity, or the lasting effects of trauma and isolation. Her approach is collaborative and person-centered. Sessions aim to identify specific goals and try practical strategies people can use between meetings.
She draws on evidence-based therapeutic techniques to shape those strategies while honoring each person’s lived experience. Clients can expect straightforward conversations and steps they can apply in daily life. Cortney has five years of clinical experience and keeps a focus on resilience and purpose.
She works from Maryland and conducts sessions in English. To begin, she asks people to reflect on what feels most urgent and what they hope to change. Therapy is paced to each person’s needs, with attention to reducing overwhelm and building skills for handling future stressors.
Evidence-based techniques and online care that fit your life
Two evidence-based approaches Cortney uses focus on practical skill-building and processing emotions. One approach emphasizes identifying unhelpful thoughts and testing them with small experiments to reduce anxiety and low mood. This helps people notice patterns and try new ways of reacting. Another approach centers on building coping skills and routines to manage stress, grief, and strong emotions by practicing short exercises between sessions.Finding the right method is a collaborative process. The therapist and client will discuss goals, preferences, and what feels most useful. Together they adapt techniques and pace so the work fits daily life and each person’s priorities.
Online therapy offers flexible ways to connect - video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging. Video sessions allow face-to-face conversation, phone sessions can be easier when bandwidth is limited, live chat supports shorter check-ins, and messaging lets people reflect in writing between appointments. These options make it easier to fit therapy into a busy schedule and to continue work even when routines change.
Questions people ask
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What this therapist works with
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Also listed
- Experience
- 5 years
- Licensed
- Maryland
- Languages
- English
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