Annie Merel, LCPC
Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor
Location: Northbrook, Virtual
Specialities:
- Obsessive- Compulsive Disorder (OCD), including all subtypes
- Complex anxiety and phobias
- ADHD and Executive Functioning
- Parenting strategies with a special focus on kids with OCD, phobias, and ADHD
- Life Transitions and Career Changes
- Women's issues
About Me
I am a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor who works with young adults and adults (18+). I have 20 years of experience in private practice, hospital, and university counseling settings. I believe most people already have the inner resources needed to navigate life’s challenges—my role is to help you reconnect with those strengths while building practical tools for meaningful, lasting change. My experience has led me to specialize in ADHD/executive functioning and OCD.
I work with individuals diagnosed with ADHD using practical, individualized strategies to address challenges such as procrastination, disorganization, time blindness, and follow-through—helping clients build systems that work with their brains, not against them.
I also regularly assess and treat OCD by helping clients identify intrusive thoughts, reduce compulsive behaviors, and rebuild trust in themselves. Many people come to therapy with limited or stereotypical understandings of OCD shaped by media portrayals. I enjoy providing education and teaching skills that help reduce symptoms and restore confidence, recognizing that even small changes can lead to meaningful progress.
I believe meaningful change happens within a collaborative, supportive therapeutic relationship. My approach balances insight with action, helping clients reconnect with their strengths while developing tools that support resilience, confidence, and long-term growth.
Primary approaches: Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), solution-focused and systems-informed work.
- Insurance : I am in network with BCBS PPO and accept self pay clients.
- Education : I received my Honor Bachelor of Science from DePaul University in 2002 and my Master’s Degree from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology in 2008.
