Mer Macgowan MA, LPC-A, LCDC-I, RYT 200

Mer's path to becoming a therapist has been shaped by a lifelong interest in people, relationships, and the ways our experiences influence who we become. She studied Human and Organizational Development at Vanderbilt University before moving to New York City to pursue musical theatre, having grown up in a family of professional musicians and actors. Her career eventually led her into restaurant management in Midtown Manhattan, where she developed a deep appreciation for leadership, interpersonal dynamics, and the complexity of human relationships. She later became a certified Birkman Professional, further deepening her interest in personality, self-awareness, and the ways people relate to one another.

Mer's own experiences with addiction, family dysfunction, and recovery ultimately led her back to a long-held desire to become a therapist. After finding her own recovery at Luna in 2018, she returned to school in her 40s to pursue a master's degree in counseling — a journey that brought her back to Luna as a clinician, a full-circle experience she considers deeply meaningful. Today, she works primarily with substance use disorders and co-occurring mental health concerns, bringing both professional training and a personal understanding of the recovery process to her work.

Mer believes the therapeutic relationship is at the heart of meaningful change. She strives to create a space where clients feel safe, understood, respected, and genuinely seen, recognizing that trust and connection are often essential before deeper healing can begin. Attachment theory is a particularly important lens in her work, helping clients understand how their early relationships and life experiences may influence the ways they connect with themselves and others. Her approach is trauma-informed, collaborative, and integrative, drawing from attachment theory, CBT, DBT, IFS, mindfulness, psychodynamic approaches, and somatic practices.

Her areas of focus include substance use disorders and addiction, co-occurring mental health concerns, trauma and attachment, shame and self-worth, emotional regulation and relapse prevention, and mind-body approaches to recovery. Mer is particularly passionate about the role of shame in addiction, believing that lasting recovery is built not through shame or judgment, but through compassion, self-understanding, and empowerment. Her goal is to help clients move from feeling disconnected, stuck, or defined by their struggles toward greater self-compassion, agency, connection, and hope.

An avid yogi, Mer has practiced yoga for many years, and her practice became an integral part of her own recovery and remains an important part of her mental and emotional well-being. She is deeply involved in her yoga community and is passionate about the ways yoga and mindful, somatic practices can support connection between the mind and body.

Outside of her professional life, Mer is a wife and mother who considers motherhood one of the greatest joys and privileges of her life. She is also a proud dog and cat mom with a lifelong soft spot for animals — particularly those in need — and readily admits that she has a hard time walking away from an animal that needs saving.