About this work — and the person behind it
Merle Maynard is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, educator, and maker based in private practice.
This site holds clinical work, teaching, writing, and illustrated psychoeducation. It began as a therapy practice and is gradually becoming something broader: a studio, a library, and a small corner of the internet where complexity is welcomed rather than resolved too quickly.
The work here is grounded in the belief that people are not problems to be solved. Therapy, at its best, is a relational process — curious, collaborative, and unhurried. The same spirit runs through everything else on this site.
The clinical work
Merle specializes in trauma-informed, neurodivergent-affirming, and queer- and trans-affirming psychotherapy. Areas of focus include attachment, complex trauma, neurodiversity, gender diversity, relationship diversity, executive functioning, burnout, and identity.
The approach is relational and draws from contemporary research in attachment theory, Internal Family Systems, Emotion Focused Couples Therapy, somatic practices, and narrative therapy—held lightly, adapted to each person, and always in service of the relationship rather than the method.
Cultural humility is not a checkbox here. It is an ongoing practice of staying curious about power, context, and the limits of any single framework.
Beyond the therapy room
Merle teaches undergraduate psychology and provides trainings for mental health professionals on neurodiversity, trauma, and affirming care. These spaces are designed to be practically useful and theoretically honest. Less about offering answers, and more about expanding how we think about clinical work and care.
The Tiny Theory Zines are psychoeducation series translating ideas from psychology, disability studies, neuroqueer theory, and philosophy into accessible formats for clients, clinicians, students, and curious readers.
What this practice is becoming
This work is still unfolding.
Right now, I'm building a practice rooted in affirming, relational, complexity-friendly care while continuing to imagine what it might grow into. I find myself drawn to collaborative ways of working, and I hope that, over time, this work expands beyond one person into something shared.
If that vision resonates—or if you're interested in collaborating—I’d love to hear from you.
A note on language
You will not find language here about healing journeys, transformation, or becoming your best self. Not because these ideas are meaningless, but because they can flatten what is actually a slow, nonlinear, deeply human process.
This work is about making space… for grief, confusion, contradiction, and the parts of ourselves that don’t fit easily into narrative. It is about the gradual, sometimes unexpected process of figuring out how to live.
Want to get in touch?
Whether you're curious about therapy, interested in a workshop, or just want to say hello — the contact form is a good place to start.