M. Mercedes Cerna is a bilingual/bicultural Marriage & Family Therapist with a California License No. MJo22107.   She is also a Shamanic Practitioner and Healer.  She specializes in Family Therapy with an emphasis on the whole family.  She often starts with a single family member or couple and brings in others as the therapy dictates.

Background
Mercedes studied at Sonoma State University and earned two B.A. degrees, one in Clinical Psychology and the other in Creative Writing.  She was a scholar at the highest level and graduated cum laude.  Following graduation, she obtained a California Life Teaching Credential for the elementary through middle grades from Sonoma State University in 1971.  She then began teaching in Mill Valley, California and taught there for five years before moving to Escondido California, where she began a specialty in bilingual/bicultural migrant teaching. She received her Bilingual/Bicultural Certificate in 1974 to teach ESL and SSL in California schools.  One year later, she moved on to Carlsbad, California, where she initiated the first Bilingual/Bicultural Teaching Program for that school district from 1975 to 1979. 

In 1980, Mercedes returned to Sonoma State University and earned her Master of Arts Degree in Clinical Psychology through their special graduate program, The Sonoma Institute. One year later, she passed her licensing exams and obtained her Marriage & Family Therapy License, No. MJo22107.

Mercedes began her therapy practice working for Catholic Social Services, where she initiated the Program for Single Mothers that identified troubled children in San Francisco’s Catholic Schools.  She worked as a Family Therapist for the single mothers of these children in conjunction with the children’s attended school.

Mercedes began women's groups for these single mothers and for Creative Women in l983 and continues today to specialize as a therapy group facilitator in her private practice.  At present, she has groups running for men and women focusing on Creativity and Vibrant Aging.

In 1984, Mercedes opened a private therapy practice in Palo Alto, California with specialties in Family Therapy and Jungian Analysis.  She continues in this work to the present day with an additional practice in Shamanic Healing.  She now sees clients in all three specialties in San Francisco, Marin County, Palo Alto, Los Gatos and Santa Cruz.

In 1998, Mercedes began an expansion of her professional work that took her south to the beauty of Costa Rica, where she lived part of each year.  She spent her time developing and directing a healing center, which offered groups on Creativity, Vibrant Aging, and Shamanic Healing.  The local response to her work was very positive and a full-time private therapy practice sprung up, growing itself out of the favorable reputation of her healing center.  In that practice, she offered Individual Therapy, Family Therapy, Jungian Analysis and Shamanic Healing.

M. Mercedes Cerna is a highly sought after and well-respected practitioner in all her areas of expertise.

Recently, Mercedes has envisioned and founded Los Pueblos, a non-profit organization to develop Urban and Rural Organic Gardens, Micro-Businesses for Women and English Teaching Schools that use the Bilingual/Bicultural approach.

In her free time, Ms. Cerna writes novels and poetry and is the author of the book Red Sun Rising.  It is currently in New York City, awaiting publication.  Two more books, The Foot of the Lion and Women Ironing, are in process.

For appointments and scheduling:

please call  (415) 999-7544