YOU'RE NOT BROKEN. YOU'RE JUST STUCK.

And you don't have to figure this out alone.

Therapy in San Jose, California

Person peering into a mirror, showing part of their face and hand reflected on the glass, with a focus on one eye.

Is This You?

  • You put in long hours to avoid being discovered as a fraud at work. Despite everyone telling you how smart and capable you are, that's not how you feel inside. You feel exhausted, broken, and unseen. The harder you work to prove yourself, the more isolated you become.

  • Your body is carrying the weight of this tension. You can't calm down enough to sleep well, lying awake at 3am, mind racing. Or maybe it shows up as chronic headaches, digestive issues, or that constant wired feeling. You know the stress is destroying your health, but you don't know how to stop.

  • On paper, your life looks fine. But nothing feels like it matters anymore. You're going through the motions, meetings and deadlines and obligations, but it all feels flat and meaningless. You're just numb, running on autopilot, wondering when you started feeling so disconnected.

  • To everyone else, you have it together. You meet deadlines, pay your bills, show up. But you know the truth: you're using more than you want to, and it's getting harder to hide. You've tried moderating. You've tried rules. Nothing sticks. Maybe you've quit before, but sobriety alone wasn't enough. The anxiety and patterns that drove you to use are still there.

  • The distance between you and your partner keeps growing, and you don't know how to close it anymore. Conversations have turned into logistics and tension. One of you works too much, the other feels invisible, and you're both too tired to fight about it. You've tried talking, but the same patterns keep repeating. You wonder if this is just what long-term relationships become, or if you're supposed to keep trying to fix something that feels this broken.

  • Your kid is showing signs of the same anxiety, perfectionism, depression, or emotional struggles you deal with. They're having trouble sleeping, melting down over mistakes, or withdrawing when stressed. You recognize these patterns because you live them. And you're terrified you're passing this on to them.

  • You're starting to notice the same things in yourself that your parents struggle with. The perfectionism that makes you redo assignments three times. The anxiety that keeps you up before tests. The way you can't stop working even when you're exhausted. You see how stressed they are, and you're terrified you're becoming exactly like them. Asking for help feels like admitting you can't handle it, but you're not sure how much longer you can keep pretending everything's fine.

If any of this sounds familiar, you're not alone and you don't have to stay stuck.

What Makes This Different

You can't logic your way out of patterns that live in your nervous system.

That's what I learned after 20 years in tech and 20 years in recovery. These stuck patterns (perfectionism, depression, overthinking, emotional suppression, substance use) don't live in your thoughts. They live in your body, your automatic responses, your habitual behaviors.

I didn't just study this. I lived it. I'm still in tech while building my therapy practice. I understand sprint planning, on call rotations, and why "just set boundaries" doesn't help when deadlines loom.

I know what it's like when you can't logic your way out, no matter how smart you are. When the thing that helped you cope becomes the thing that's killing you. When everyone thinks you're fine because you're "high functioning."

I survived burnout and a heart attack at 37. I rebuilt after divorce and financial loss. I figured it out by finally doing the uncomfortable, vulnerable work that thinking alone couldn't solve.

I help analytical, high achieving people change patterns logic alone can't fix so they can stop passing them down to their kids. I'm not here to fix you. I'm here to get you unstuck.

Everything we do focuses on behavioral change, not endless processing. You can't control your thoughts or feelings, but you can control your actions. That's what we work on.

How We Work Together

Individual Therapy

You learn to act differently so your life works better. We target anxiety, perfectionism, burnout, and recovery work. Sessions focus on what keeps you stuck and what needs to change.

50 mins |  $150 

Learn more about individual therapy →

Child and Teen Therapy

We help children express what they cannot yet explain. Play and conversation build emotional regulation and confidence. For ages 4 through 17.

50 mins |  $150

Learn more about child & teen therapy →

Couples Therapy

You learn to reconnect and communicate clearly. We address emotional distance, trust issues, and patterns that repeat. You both take responsibility for change.

50 mins |  $190 

Learn more about couples therapy →

Therapy Intensives

Longer sessions for faster progress. We use focused work to address major transitions or persistent patterns. For individuals and couples ready for concentrated change.

3 hours |  Individual $450 \ Couples $570

Learn more about therapy intensives →

Ready to Stop Just Managing

You don't have to figure this out alone. You don't have to keep pushing through. You don't have to wait until everything falls apart.

The hardest part is reaching out. After that, we'll figure it out together.

We'll talk about what's been hardest for you, what you want to change, and whether we're a good fit. No pressure. No judgment. Just a conversation.

Not Ready to Book Yet?

Get the Free Guide

The 5-Minute Reset: Practices When Your Brain Won't Shut Off

A free educational guide teaching stress management techniques based on evidence-based therapeutic practices. This is NOT therapy, medical advice, or personalized treatment.

 

In-person and Remote Options

Christan Mercurio, AMFT
Email:
cm@christanmercurio.com
Voicemails: (669) 240-0319

New Path Couples Therapy Inc.
3880 S Bascom Ave Ste 216
San Jose, California 95124-2675

Serving:
San Jose, Campbell, Los Gatos, Willow Glen, Almaden Valley, Saratoga, Silicon Valley, and Santa Clara County

Have questions? See our FAQ →
Download free resources →
Learn about family patterns →

About Christan Mercurio, AMFT

Registered Associate Marriage and Family Therapist
20 Years in Continuous Recovery | 20 Years in Tech

I created this practice because I watched capable people stay stuck in patterns logic alone can’t solve and patterns that ripple through families.

With 20 years in tech and 20 years in recovery, I understand both the professional pressures and the personal pain my clients face. I’m not here to fix you, I’m here to get you unstuck.

Christan Mercurio, AMFT
 Registered Associate Marriage and Family Therapist
 20 Years in Tech | 20 Years in Recovery
 Registration No. AMFT 156566