Our Team

Karl Merritt

Registered Psychologist
Clinical Director, Counselling Lead

Hi, I’m Karl.

I have extensive experience working with a range of populations, including children, adolescents, adults, and families. I specialize in children’s mental health, including preschoolers. I also enjoy and have experience supporting couples and adults. I have worked as a psychologist for over ten years in a variety of settings, including schools, community mental health, private practice, and tertiary day treatment programs. I am a past registered social worker and have degrees in psychology, social work and philosophy/theology.

I am passionate about providing psychological care. I devote time and energy to meeting the needs of my clients. I believe good therapy acknowledges the struggle, distress and impairment, but moves to increased hope, engagement, and success. I am older than I appear in my photo. I actually have two children. I enjoy rock climbing and yoga, and for the last 20 years have been striving to move beyond tolerating running.

Alongside my therapeutic work, I am an adjunct professor at the University of Alberta with both the Department of Psychiatry and the Department of Educational Psychology. In these positions, I support the training of psychiatry residents in the child and adolescent subspecialty program, and doctoral students in the school and clinical psychology program.

Education

  • Master of Arts in Counselling Psychology (MACP), Yorkville University

  • Bachelor of Social Work (BSW), Booth University College

Areas of Focus

  • Abuse

  • Addiction

  • ADHD

  • Adjustment Disorder

  • Adoption

  • Aging

  • Alcohol Abuse

  • Anger & Anger Management

  • Anxiety

  • Asperger’s Syndrome

  • Autism

  • Behavioural Issues

  • Bipolar Disorder

  • Body Image Issues

  • Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD)

  • Bullying

  • Communication

  • Conduct Disorder (CD)

  • Conversion Disorder

  • Depression

  • Divorce

  • Domestic Abuse & Violence

  • Emotion Regulation

  • Excoriation Disorder

  • Family Planning

  • Fears/Phobias

  • Grief & Loss

  • Infidelity

  • Insomnia

  • Intellectual Disabilities
    Internet Addiction

  • Learning Disabilities

  • Loneliness

  • Mood Disorders

  • Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

  • Oppositional Defiance Disorder (ODD)

  • Panic Disorder

  • Parenting

  • Persistent Depressive Disorder (Dysthymic Disorder)

  • Personality Disorders

  • Postpartum Depression

  • PTSD

  • Pregnancy, Prenatal, Postpartum

  • Relationship Issues

  • Self-Harming

  • Suicidal Behaviour

  • Sex, Sexuality, Intimacy

  • Sexual Abuse

  • Sexual Addiction

  • Sleep Disorder

  • Social Anxiety Disorder

  • Stress

  • Substance Use

  • Tourette Syndrome

  • Trauma

  • Workplace Stress

Modalities & Approaches

  • Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)

  • Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)

  • Cognitive Processing Therapy

  • Culturally Sensitive Therapy

  • Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT)

  • Educational Assessments

  • EMDR

  • Exposure Therapy

  • Family Counselling

  • Family Systems Therapy

  • Gottman Method

  • Group Counselling

  • Marital Counselling

  • Marriage and Family Therapy

  • Mindful-Based Cognitive Therapy

  • Narrative Therapy

  • Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT)

  • Prolonged Exposure Therapy

  • Psychological Testing & Evaluation

  • Relationship Counselling

  • Solution-Focused Brief Therapy

  • Strength-Based Therapy

  • Structural Family Therapy

  • Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behaviour Therapy

  • Trauma Informed Care