Meryl Heyliger, PhD
Licensed psychologist and partner in helping you to cultivate the life you want.
© Dr. Meryl S. Heyliger. All rights reserved.
Meet Dr. Heyliger
Dr. Meryl S. Heyliger has been working with children, adults, and families for more than 20 years independently and as a school psychologist or school counselor. She helps to address anxiety, life’s stressors, parenting difficulties, sadness/depression, attention issues, and more. Dr. Heyliger is particularly passionate about serving parents and children ages 12 and up.Aiming to help clients feel confident and empowered in their decision making, Dr. Heyliger's approach is thoughtful, engaging, and goal oriented. She seeks to establish a strong relationship so that clients feel safe, heard, and comfortable.Dr. Heyliger received her PhD from the University of Maryland at College Park, additional training at the Washington School of Psychiatry, and continues to develop her skills through ongoing professional development. She has been involved in diversity, equity and inclusion work for many years because of her commitment to social justice and a belief in the importance of cultural competence.
SERVICES
Dr. Meryl S. Heyliger believes that opening possibilities, helping to empower, and building a greater sense of competence are all essential to therapeutic work. She encourages clients to consider how their choices align with their values and what actions move them toward or away from the life they want. Whether with a child, family, or individual adult, she also encourages the practice of noticing the present moment and becoming aware of when one is swept away by thoughts and feelings. These areas of focus help clients shift to healthier habits and develop tools to manage what's preventing them from living more fully.Specifically, Dr. Heyliger provides services for:
Options for Therapeutic Support
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
This is action oriented, assumes that challenging feelings should not stop a person from living fully, and seeks to acknowledge one’s full experience.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
This approach challenges unproductive thinking, seeks to change behaviors, and emphasizes coping and problem solving
Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions (SPACE)
This is a treatment focused on parents/caregivers to address their child’s anxiety or OCD. This treatment increases parents ability to be supportive and less accommodating. It has multiple steps and is a guided process of behavioral change.
School-based consultation and intervention
Parent consultation
Emotional/behavioral screening
RESOURCES
We're back to school and the routines of Fall. For many, this is an exciting time to reconnect with community and return to structures that may diminish during the summer. For some, new or renewed stressors arrive with the return of set bed and wake up times, making lunches, and a schedule of after school activities. The juggle between parent and child needs can be substantial. And, even if a child’s schedule is not the priority, changes to routines and structures can still have an impact.I want to help you through the changes life brings and help empower you to navigate them with grace and compassion. Contact me and utilize the resources below to help you cultivate the life you want!
Suggested Reading & Podcasts
- Black People Breathe: A Mindfulness Guide to Racial Healing by Zee Clark
- all about love: new visions by bell hooks
- Outsmart Your Brain: Why Learning is Hard adn How to Make it Easy by Daniel T. Willingham
- Anxious Generation How the Great Rewiring of Childhood is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness By Jonathan Haidt
- Armchair Expert Podcast
- Motherhood in Black and White Podcast
Contact
Please call or email for consultation or to book your appointment today. I have availability for telehealth (remote therapy) sessions.Check out psychologytoday.com for more on Dr. Heyliger's specialties and the clients she serves.Please note, Old City Psychology does not accept insurance at this time.