Meron Girmay

My path to this work has not been linear. I spent eight years at the VA working in a shelter setting with veterans in active crisis. That role was not traditional mental health therapy. It was showing up every day for people in some of the hardest circumstances imaginable, assessing for safety, connecting people to the right resources, and managing situations that required both calm and decisive action. I learned more about human resilience in those years than anywhere else.

Before and alongside the VA, I built experience in medical social work, school-based mental health with children, and home health. My background is clinical across the lifespan and rooted in medical and community settings. I bring that same groundedness to private practice.

I am an LCSW with nine years of experience and an MSW from San Jose State University. I work with adolescents and adults navigating anxiety, depression, grief and loss, and the weight of managing a full life. I use Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Trauma-Focused CBT, and Motivational Interviewing, and I adapt my approach to the person in front of me.

My style is grounded and direct. I do not make therapy more complicated than it needs to be. We will figure out what is actually getting in the way and work on that together.

I believe people generally know themselves better than they think they do. A big part of what I do is help you access that knowledge and trust it. I offer structure when you want it and space when you need it. The pace is always yours.

I am building a small, intentional private practice, which means the people I work with get my full attention. I am available evenings and weekends, which works well for people managing full schedules who still want to invest in their mental health.

My years at the VA showed me that resilience looks different for every person. Some people rebuild quietly. Others need to name what happened out loud before anything else can move. I bring that same openness to private practice.

If you are starting therapy for the first time or returning after a gap, I want you to know the pace is yours. We work at the speed that feels right for you, not a predetermined timeline. I am glad you are here.