01 · Who Zina works with

Zina works with stress, Anxiety, grief and coping with life changes

Zina lists 6 specialisms and 23 further focus areas. Specialisms are the subjects Zina chose to list first, which is the closest a listing gets to “this is my actual practice”.

02 · In Zina's own words

What Zina says about the work

Reproduced in full and unedited - not summarised, not tightened, not rewritten in a house voice.

As a licensed therapist, I specialize in supporting individuals navigating complex life transitions, emotional challenges, and personal growth. My approach centers on compassionate, holistic care for adults seeking meaningful support through stress, anxiety, and life transitions.

I bring a depth of understanding to challenges like anxiety, medical and health related setbacks, workplace stress/burnout/compassion fatigue, professional purpose and career exploration, and personal identity exploration. My therapeutic work focuses on helping clients develop self-understanding, improve communication, decrease self-criticism, navigate stressful work environments, and rediscover their sense of purpose.

I offer a nuanced approach to healing that honors each individual's unique journey. I have an extensive background in mindfulness, somatic practices, Internal Family Systems, and self-compassion. Whether you're facing chronic health challenges, workplace difficulties, or personal transitions, I'm committed to walking alongside you with empathy, respect, and professional guidance.

My practice welcomes individuals seeking support through various life stages, with a particular sensitivity high-achievers and burnout, midlife experiences, grief, retirement, aging, and complex emotional landscapes. Together, we'll work collaboratively to develop resilient coping strategies and meaningful pathways toward personal wellness.

Zina Mercil, on the BetterHelp listing · read 5 Nov 2026

03 · How Zina works

The 7 approaches Zina lists, in plain English

These are the clinical methods Zina lists. The descriptions are Maker Therapy's, not Zina's - a general explanation of what each method is, so the list means something before you have spoken to anybody. They are not a claim about how Zina runs a session.

Attachment-Based Therapy

Reads present-day relationship difficulty through the lens of how safety and closeness were learned early on. The therapeutic relationship itself is treated as part of the work, because it is where the pattern tends to show up first.

Dialectical Behaviour TherapyDBT

A structured skills-led adaptation of CBT built around holding two things at once: accepting yourself as you are and working to change. Teaches concrete skills for distress tolerance, emotion regulation and relationships. Developed for people whose feelings arrive at overwhelming intensity, and strongest-evidenced there.

Mindfulness-Based TherapyMBCT

Trains attention on what is happening right now - body, breath, the thought as it arrives - so distress can be observed rather than automatically acted on. Strongest evidence is in preventing depression from recurring, and it is usually taught as a practice you keep doing outside the session.

Motivational InterviewingMI

A way of talking about change with somebody who is genuinely in two minds about it. The therapist does not argue for the change; they help you say your own reasons out loud, which is the part that predicts whether it happens. Common around substance use and health behaviour.

Solution-Focused Brief TherapySFBT

Starts from where you want to end up rather than from how you got here. Sessions look for the times the problem is already smaller and work out what is different about those, so the number of sessions tends to be short and the work concrete.

Trauma-Focused TherapyTF-CBT · trauma-informed

CBT adapted for people whose difficulty is rooted in a frightening or overwhelming event. Pacing is the point: safety and stabilisation come first, the memory itself is approached gradually and only when you are ready, and the aim is that recalling it stops hijacking the present.

Internal Family SystemsIFS

Treats the mind as made up of parts - the critic, the one who withdraws, the one that keeps everything running - each of which is trying to protect you. The work is getting to know them rather than overruling them.

Also listed

• Existential Therapy
• Somatic Therapy

04 · What happens next

From this page to a first session

Zina practises through BetterHelp, so the route in is BetterHelp's. This is that sequence, written by Maker Therapy from the platform's published process - not a description of Zina's own practice, and not a promise about how quickly anything happens.

1. A questionnaire, not a booking form

   BetterHelp opens with a set of questions about what you are dealing with, what you want from therapy, and any preferences on the therapist. You are not booking Zina at this point.

2. Naming Zina specifically

   BetterHelp matches algorithmically by default, so asking for Zina is a step you have to take. There is a field for requesting a specific therapist during sign-up, and you can switch afterwards from your account. Starting from a link on this page does not by itself assign you to Zina.

3. If the caseload is full

   You will be offered somebody else rather than put on a waitlist. Worth knowing, because it is easy to assume a match is the person you asked for.

4. The first conversation

   A first session is typically history and orientation: what brought you, what has been tried, what you want to be different. It is also where the questions in the next section belong.

5. If the fit is wrong

   Changing therapist on BetterHelp does not need a reason. A first session that does not click is common and is not a verdict on therapy. That option existing is the main practical difference between a platform and a private practice.

05 · Before you commit

3 questions worth asking Zina

Built from what Zina actually lists, so they are answerable and specific rather than generic. Maker Therapy's, not Zina's - Zina has not seen them and is under no obligation to answer any of them.

• “You list both Dialectical Behaviour Therapy and Attachment-Based Therapy. Which do you lean on with someone like me?”

  Those two point in different directions - one structured and led by the therapist, the other led by you. The answer tells you what the sessions will actually feel like.

• “How do you decide when someone is ready to work on a traumatic memory itself?”

  Pacing is the biggest safety question in trauma work. A clear, unhurried answer here matters more than any credential.

• “How do you handle the gap between sessions if something comes up?”

  On BetterHelp this varies a great deal by therapist. Better to know the rhythm now than to discover it on a bad week.

06 · Practical details

Credentials and licensing

Credential

LPC

Licensed in

Colorado

Licence

CO LPC LPC.0014243

Licence number

LPC.0014243

Licence expires

31 Aug 2027

NPI

1285588947

Years in practice

10

Gender

Female

Languages

English

International clients

Not accepted

Listed since

12 Jun 2026

07 · Provenance

Where every line on this page came from

Zina's name, credential, state, subjects, approaches and biography are read from BetterHelp's therapist roster, which Maker Therapy re-reads once a day; this page reflects the reading taken on 5 Nov 2026. The licence number and NPI are cross-checked against public registers.

The plain-English method descriptions, the first-session walkthrough and the questions are written by Maker Therapy and labelled as such wherever they appear.

Maker Therapy is not BetterHelp, does not take bookings, and has not met Zina. There are no reviews or ratings on this page because we have no way to verify one. If you start therapy through a link here, we may be paid a commission - it does not change your price and it does not affect who appears here or in what order.

Something on this page wrong or out of date? Report it and it will be checked against the source.