Merrill Bading, LCSW

Lotus Within Counseling, PLLC
Boise ID
I offer psychedelic integration in my therapy practice but I don't work with any psychedelic medicines. My work with clients is to provide a supportive, non-directive approach to helping them to heal, connect and gain insight into their deeper selves. Like the lotus flower hidden from view in the mud 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. I am interested in your journey. 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. Many psychedelic medicines are not legal and l don't condone/endorse illegal activity. From a harm reduction perspective, I work with those utilizing these medicines on their own who want to process these experiences in a deeper way.
I am a licensed clinical social worker in the State of Idaho. I have extensive experience in hospice and have an Advanced Hospice Palliative Care certification. In 2022, I completed the Integrative Psychiatry Institute (IPI) certification program for Psychedelic Assisted Therapy. I also have had training in Brainspotting and Internal Family Systems. The IPI program was a wonderful way to learn about the use of psychedelics for both improving mental health and well-being but also for personal growth. The course inspired me both professionally and personally, resulting in a transition from hospice social work to private practice.