Mercides Palmer, MD, LCPC

Mercides Palmer is a licensed professional counselor in Maryland with three years of clinical experience. She holds an MD and is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor. She works with people dealing with relationship challenges, trauma and abuse, grief, low self-esteem, and ADHD.

Palmer aims to make sessions feel straightforward and nonjudgmental. She creates time to listen closely and to help clients name what feels most urgent. Conversations are practical and focused on what feels doable between sessions.

Her approach blends cognitive behavioral ideas with attachment-focused and client-centered work. That means she helps people notice unhelpful thinking patterns, understand relationship dynamics, and build on their own strengths. She also uses parts of dialectical behavior ideas and existential reflections when those fit the situation.

Sessions often focus on concrete goals like improving self-esteem, managing mood, coping after loss, or organizing steps to handle workplace strain. For someone coping with ADHD or intense emotions, she offers simple strategies to reduce overwhelm and improve daily functioning.

Palmer treats starting therapy as a collaborative process. She helps clients set short-term targets and adjusts the plan as progress happens. Many people come for a clear problem to solve; others come to explore purpose and build long-term resilience.

How therapeutic approaches translate to online care

Attachment-Based Therapy helps people understand how early relationships shape current connections. It focuses on patterns in close relationships and helps clients build more secure ways of relating. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, looks at thoughts and behaviors that keep problems going and teaches practical skills to change them. It is often used for mood issues, anxiety, ADHD-related challenges, and low self-esteem. Client-Centered Therapy centers the client's experience and priorities. The therapist listens, reflects, and follows the client's lead to build insight and confidence.

Finding the right approach is part of the work. The therapist will discuss goals and preferences in early sessions and then choose or combine methods that fit. That collaborative process means plans can change as needs become clearer and progress is made.

Online therapy options include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging. Video suits deeper conversations and visual connection. Phone sessions are useful when bandwidth is limited or a shorter check-in is needed. Live chat and text messaging allow quick check-ins, skill practice between sessions, or a way to stay connected when a full session isn't possible. Together these formats offer flexibility so therapy can fit into daily life.