Merrill Bading, LCSW

The lotus flower has different meanings in different cultural traditions. It emerges clean from the mud and is often noted as a symbol of purity. But the lotus flower returns underground to the dark in the evening so it can also represent strength, resilience, rebirth, and transcendence. Like the lotus flower hidden from view until it's ready to emerge, we all have an inner healer within us. It is often obscured in our unconscious. What keeps our healer hidden are those things that drive us without knowing why, or those things that scare us, or are simply too painful to bring into our everyday existence. Whether it is anxiety, stress, life transition, loss or just a desire to gain a deeper insight into yourself, I am interested in your journey. I provide a calm, grounded non-judgmental container to process that which brings you to therapy. I draw from different therapeutic modalities depending on the issue(s) and the client's own orientation to the work. If you are motivated to do the work, you may find that immersing yourself in the mud and muck of your psyche will allow what was hidden to be revealed in ways that you may not have anticipated. About Me I am a licensed clinical social worker in Idaho and Oregon. I earned my Master’s in Social Work at Boise State University in 2010. I am certified in Brainspotting and have had training in Internal Family Systems/parts work. I completed the Integrative Psychiatry Institute certification program for Psychedelic Assisted Therapy in 2022. I also have extensive experience working in hospice and with those experiencing grief/loss. I offer in person sessions in Boise and online sessions throughout Idaho and Oregon. “The treasure you seek is in the cave you fear to enter.” –Carl Jung