Dr. Nancy Arocho-Mercado

Born in Puerto Rico and raised in the Bronx, New York, Dr. Nancy I. Arocho-Mercado brings a deeply grounded and culturally informed perspective shaped by her lived experience and professional journey. She is a bilingual (Spanish/English) clinical social worker with over 25 years of experience spanning psychotherapy, clinical supervision, community organizing, and academia.

Dr. Arocho-Mercado holds a Doctorate in Social Work from Simmons University and a Master of Social Work from Hunter College’s Silberman School of Social Work. Her clinical training includes Family Therapy, Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), and culturally responsive, trauma-informed approaches to care.

She is the founder and owner of a group private practice in Peekskill, New York, where she leads a team of clinicians serving over 200 clients annually. The practice provides individual, couples, and family therapy, as well as clinical supervision, training, and community-based workshops. Rooted in an inclusive, feminist, decolonial, and social justice-oriented framework, the practice centers culturally responsive care and aims to reduce barriers to mental health services for historically marginalized communities.

Dr. Arocho-Mercado specializes in working with individuals and families navigating trauma, including survivors of sexual and physical abuse, domestic and interpersonal violence, grief and loss, and life transitions. She also supports clients experiencing anxiety, depression, and the long-term impact of systemic stressors. Her work includes serving LGBTQIA+ individuals and families, as well as those connected to military and law enforcement professions, where she integrates an understanding of high-alert training, trust, and relational dynamics.

Her clinical approach is collaborative, strengths-based, and person-centered, integrating modalities such as Trauma-Focused CBT, Family Systems, Narrative Therapy, and Motivational Interviewing. Across all areas of her work, she is committed to fostering spaces where clients feel seen, respected, and empowered to heal.

In addition to her clinical practice, Dr. Arocho-Mercado is an educator and mentor who has taught at the graduate level and continues to train and supervise emerging clinicians. Her teaching and leadership are guided by principles of cultural humility, intersectionality, and liberation-focused practice. She is dedicated to advancing equitable, community-centered mental health care and believes deeply in the transformative power of connection, voice, and collective healing.