Harmony Works Therapy

Integrative therapy for individuals, couples, and families

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Aneta Merlino, MS., LMFT

Welcome. My name is Aneta Merlino and I am a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist providing psychotherapy for individuals, couples, and families seeking greater self-awarness, healthier relationships, and lasting personal growth.

I am passionate about guiding you to deepen your connection to self and others creating a life and relationships that feel meaningful and supportive, characterized by honesty, respect, authenticity and emotional safety.

Education & Professional Training

Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Psychology
University of Washington

Master of Science (M.S.) in Marriage and Family Therapy
Seattle Pacific University

Advanced Training in Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT & EFFT)
International Centre for Excellence in Emotionally Focused Therapy (ICEEFT)

EMDR-Trained Therapist
EMDR International Association (EMDRIA)

Services

Individual Therapy

You might be seeking help to:

  • Develop a stronger sense of authenticity, self-worth, and confidence

  • Build healthier, more fulfilling relationships

  • Better understand and effectively communicate your thoughts, feelings, and needs to loved ones

  • Strengthen your capacity for emotional regulation, resilience, and self-compassion.

  • Break free from recurring behavioral and emotional patterns that no longer serve you

  • Heal from past experiences that continue to influence your relationships, emotions, or daily life

  • Create a greater sense of balance, presence and connection in your life

Couples Therapy

You might be seeking help to:

  • Deepen your emotional and physical connection in your relationship

  • Restore trust, emotional safety, and connection

  • Communicate with greater openness, understanding, and intention

  • Break free from recurring cycles of conflict, criticism, defensiveness, or withdrawal

  • Better understand one another's needs and create a more secure, supportive relationship

  • Navigate life transitions, stressors, or differences with greater collaboration and mutual respect

  • Rediscover relational harmony that allows for feeling seen, valued and connected

Family Therapy

You might be seeking help to:

  • Strengthen your family connection and foster healthier and more supportive relationships

  • Navigate life transitions or family changes with greater understanding, resilience, and collaboration

  • Create a family environment where every member feels heard, respected, and emotionally safe

  • Improve communication and develop healthier ways of working through conflict together

  • Better understand the patterns that influence your family relationships and create new ways of relating

  • Heal from past hurts, rebuild trust and restore a sense of connection and belonging

My Approach

I take an integrative approach to therapy, focusing on identifying and addressing the root cause of what is bringing you in. Together we focus on creating meaningful and lasting change by gaining insight, practicing new ways of being and actively choosing healthier patterns of being.

Our work may include:

  • Recognizing and taking ownership of the ways you show up in relationships and contribute to interactional patterns with others

  • Learning to identify, express and advocate for your emotional needs in ways that foster emotional safety and genuine connection

  • Developing practical strategies to regulate your nervous system, practice self-care, and support your overall well-being

  • Processing past experiences that continue to create distress or interfere with your ability to thrive in the present

  • Understanding how family-of-origin experiences and attachment patterns influence the way you think, feel and relate in relationships with others

  • Cultivating self-compassion and learning to recognize and respond to your own needs, creating a stronger foundation to care for the people you love

  • Using present-moment awareness to quiet habitual thoughts, increase emotional clarity and develop a deeper connection with your authentic self and inner wisdom

Therapies and Interventions

Our work is collaborative, experiential and grounded in both research and compassion. As we identify the best ways to meet your goals, we focus on empowering you to understand the deeper patterns that shape your relationship dynamic while practicing new ways of responding to create greater harmony and connection. Our work may integrate some of the following:

Attachment Theory

Attachment Theory provides a framework for understanding how your earliest relationships influence the expectations, beliefs and behaviors you bring into your relationships today. Together, we may explore questions such as:

  • Do I believe others will be there for me when I need them?

  • Do I feel worthy of love, acceptance, and care?

  • Can I trust and depend on others?

  • How do I respond when I feel hurt, rejected, disconnected, or afraid?

As these patterns become clear, ways of relating become more deliberate versus reactive. Understanding what shaped them allows compassion for self and others to surface.

Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT)

Drawing from Emotionally Focused Therapy, we will slow down moments of conflict, disconnection, or emotional distress to understand what is happening beneath the surface. Rather than focus on blame or symptoms, we identify recurring interactional patterns that keep you feeling stuck.

As you learn to recognize these patterns in real time, you can begin responding with greater awareness and intention, creating relationships characterized by emotional safety, responsiveness, and deeper connection.

EMDR

When appropriate, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) can help process and integrate overwhelming or unresolved experiences that continue to influence your thoughts, emotions, and relationships. By reducing the emotional impact of these experiences, EMDR can create space for greater freedom, resilience, and the ability to move toward the life and relationships you desire.

Emotional Safety & Presence

Emotional safety is one of the strongest predictors of healthy, satisfying relationships. Together, we will explore what emotional safety feels like, how it is created, and the ways it allows trust, vulnerability, authenticity, and secure attachment to develop. As emotional safety grows, relationships become places where you can be fully known while feeling accepted and connected to others.

Above all, therapy is grounded in the present moment. While we honor the influence of the past and clarify hopes for the future, lasting change happens in the here and now. Together, we will pay attention to what is unfolding in each session, trusting that what emerges naturally often points us toward the places that need attention. As obstacles are understood and released, new possibilities for connection, authenticity, and harmony begin to unfold.

Harmony in relationship is not the absence of conflict or difference. It’s the capacity to work with and use what shows up within ourselves while in relationships with others to guide us on what needs healing so we can be at peace.

  • Complimentary 15-minute phone consultation
    This no-obligation consultation provides an opportunity to discuss what brings you to therapy, ask questions, and determine whether my approach is the right fit for your needs.

    $165 per 50-minute therapy session
    For individuals, couples, and families.

    Payment is processed at the time of each session using the secure payment method you have on file. For your convenience, your card will be charged automatically after each appointment.

    If you have any questions about fees, payment, or billing, please feel free to contact me. I'm happy to help.

  • At this time, I am not in-network with insurance providers and do not bill insurance directly.

    If you have out-of-network benefits, I am happy to provide a monthly superbill that you can submit to your insurance company for possible reimbursement. Because coverage varies by plan, I encourage you to contact your insurance provider to learn more about your out-of-network mental health benefits.

  • I believe that access to quality mental health care is important. If financial circumstances make the full session fee difficult at this time, please feel free to reach out to discuss your situation.

    A limited number of reduced-fee appointments may be available based on financial need and current availability. If you would like to learn more, I invite you to email me to inquire about eligibility and current openings.

  • Beginning therapy is an important step, and I'd like to make the process as simple and comfortable as possible.

    The first step is to schedule a complimentary 15-minute phone consultation by emailing me directly. This gives us an opportunity to talk about what brings you to therapy, ask any questions you may have, and determine whether my approach feels like the right fit for your needs.

    If we decide to move forward together, we'll schedule your first session. Before we meet, you'll receive a few intake forms to complete electronically. From there, we'll begin our work together either in person or through secure virtual sessions—whichever best supports your needs.

  • I understand that life doesn't always go as planned. If you need to cancel or reschedule an appointment, I kindly ask that you provide at least 24 hours' notice.

    You can contact me directly, and I'll be happy to help you find another time that works.

  • The frequency of our sessions will be tailored to your unique goals, needs, and the pace that feels most supportive for you. Many clients begin with weekly sessions to build momentum and establish a strong therapeutic foundation, while others find that meeting every other week or monthly better fits their circumstances.

    Together, we'll discuss what feels most appropriate and create a plan that supports your growth, adjusting as your needs evolve over time.

  • Yes. I offer both in-person and secure virtual therapy sessions, allowing you to choose the option that best fits your needs, comfort, and schedule.

    Whether we meet in my office or online, my goal is to provide a supportive, connected, and meaningful therapeutic experience where you feel safe to explore, grow and heal.

  • I provide individual and couples therapy for adults (18 years and older).

    I also offer family therapy for families with loved ones of all ages.

Questions You May Have

Let’s work together

Please send a brief email sharing what brings you to therapy and a few times you're available for a 15-minute consultation call.

I look forward to connecting.