About MERCEDES

Mercedes Martinez-Hannon, MS, AMFT, Certified Trauma Professional

Registered Associate Marriage and Family Therapist, AMFT #127300

Supervised by Annalise Kordell, LCSW #28268

As a Registered Associate Marriage and Family Therapist (AMFT #127300), Mercedes is honored to work with your or your child’s unique mind, biology, and life experiences. Having worked with individuals across the lifespan, she is particularly passionate about empowering clients at any age to feel whole, worthy, and capable of thriving.

Mercedes’ approach to healing focuses on a collaborative process that explores your personal challenges and goals in a non-judgmental, curious manner. She draws heavily from the lenses of Interpersonal Neurobiology, Attachment Science, Polyvagal Theory, and Family Systems. Mercedes believes regulation and resilience can be achieved when individuals feel relational safety, allowing them to fully engage in a reflective process that explores patterns of thought, bodily sensation, emotion, and behavior. She is committed to helping shift challenging patterns by discovering how your developing (and developed) mind, brain, and body work: applying that knowledge to effect positive change.

Mercedes’ graduate training centered around families and children from communities who experienced high levels of adversity and trauma. However, she understands that routine life can, at times, also feel overwhelming. Mercedes recognizes the challenges inherent in meeting life’s demands during childhood, adulthood, and parenthood. She seeks to help expand your or your child’s capacity to navigate these demands in a way that is flexible, regulated, and productive.

Mercedes earned her Bachelor of Science in General Biology and Psychology Minor at University of California, San Diego. During her undergraduate career, she witnessed firsthand the importance of approaching mental and physical well-being through a biopsychosocial lens as a neuropsychology intern studying Parkinson’s disease at the Veterans Affairs in San Diego. Mercedes later received her Master of Science in Counseling at California State University, Los Angeles, where she was honored with the prestigious Golden Apple Award for going above and beyond in her designated field. As someone who believes in lifelong learning, Mercedes is dedicated to continuously evolving her practice and deepening her knowledge by attending trainings that address the science and application of play therapy, traumatology, attachment, and interpersonal biology.

Outside of sessions and learning, Mercedes enjoys spending time with her loved ones (including her cats!), being in nature, dancing, and laughing.