About
Christan Mercurio
I spent 20 years in tech and 20 years in recovery before becoming a therapist.
Over and over, I saw the same thing happen. Smart, capable people would understand exactly what was wrong. They could explain their patterns in detail. They knew what they "should" do.
Nothing changed.
The problem wasn't insight. The problem was that the pattern lived deeper than insight.
That's true whether the pattern is perfectionism, burnout, emotional avoidance, substance use, relationship conflict, or anxiety.
I created this practice to help people change the things that understanding alone hasn't changed.
My Background
20 Years in Tech (Still There)
I'm still working in tech while building my therapy practice. I understand the unique pressures of tech culture, the imposter syndrome despite achievements, why setting boundaries takes more than willpower when your team is shipping next week, and how easy it is to hide drinking when you work from home.
20 Years in Continuous Recovery
Recovery is a central part of my life. I've spent two decades doing the work myself, not just learning about it professionally. I work with people across the spectrum of substance use and recovery, whether you're exploring moderation, harm reduction, abstinence, medication-assisted treatment, or a 12-step program. My role isn't to prescribe a path. It's to help you build one that works.
My Approach
Everything Is Geared Toward Behavior Change
Thoughts and feelings aren't always under your control. Your actions are where change becomes possible.
So that's what we focus on. Concrete behavioral change that makes your life work better. Understanding matters when it leads somewhere. Insight matters when you act on it.
I pull from multiple approaches, but everything we do is focused on one thing: changing what actually happens in your life.
To change behavior, we work with what keeps you stuck:
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They're information, not problems to fix. Your anxiety tells you something important. Learning to read these signals (instead of numbing them) changes everything.
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Where anxiety, stress, and cravings live. The physical patterns that keep you in fight-or-flight even when there's no immediate threat.
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The part of you that drives toward perfection and the part that's exhausted. The part that wants to stay sober and the part that still wants to use. The part that wants to be present with your kids and the part that can't stop working. These are protective mechanisms that need updating.
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Where you can stop performing and be yourself. Where you can say the things you've never said out loud. A space built on understanding, free from judgment.
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Understanding only matters if you do something different. We process your past to change your present.
Why This Matters
I understand tech culture because I still work in it.
I understand recovery because I live it.
I understand neurodiverse relationships and family systems because I work with them every day, and because I grew up in one.
I maintain a small caseload deliberately. Working in tech full-time means I can't see everyone, and it means the work I do is focused, not diluted.
Ready to Work Together?
If you're ready to change what you do, not just how you think about it, let's talk.
We'll talk about what's been hardest for you, what you want to change, and whether we're a good fit to work together.
Contact:
Email: cm@christanmercurio.com
Voicemails: (669) 240-0319
Serving the San Jose, California area
San Jose, Campbell, Los Gatos, Willow Glen, Almaden Valley, Saratoga, Silicon Valley, and Santa Clara County
