Embrace what’s possible on the other side of pain.
Meet Mery Vargas Mares | Therapist in Reno, NV
Many people come here at their lowest, darkest point.
They don't recognize themselves anymore, and everything is in shambles. They're carrying a kind of pain so heavy it touches all the parts of their life—their relationships, their work, the way they see themselves…even their ability to imagine feeling joy or happiness again (or the guilt of even wishing that could happen).
Somewhere beneath the heartbreak is a hope that things won't always feel this way. Maybe that’s why you’re here. You could be holding onto a small glimmer of light, that maybe one day…
You won’t feel this devastated forever
You’ll finally be able to breathe again
Life won't always revolve around this pain
Joy, love, meaning, or connection will start to come back
You can survive this
Devastating experiences can change us forever.
The invitation is deciding who we become because of them.
How I work
I'm not a conventional therapist, and I’ve never wanted to be.
There’s no textbook approach here or the pressure to put you into a box. Every person has their own story, their own strengths, and their own path forward. My job is to meet you where you are and help you figure out what you need. I draw from a variety of approaches—including psychotherapy, EMDR, somatic healing, mindfulness, meditation, integrative mental health, and psycho-spiritual exploration—to create a therapeutic experience that feels supportive, meaningful, and tailored to you.
It’s important to me to have a sense of creativity within this work. Using different modalities and perspectives allows us to open up to what’s really necessary for you to heal. Sometimes that means exploring the stories you've been carrying for years. Sometimes it means working with the nervous system, emotions, intuition, or the deeper questions that emerge when life flips everything on its head.
I believe healing is both a science and a deeply human experience.
I’m equally drawn to understanding the nervous system and honoring the soul. My work is always rooted in ethical, evidence-based, and trauma-informed care. At the same time, I value the integration of psychotherapy with mindfulness, meditation, and other healing practices that have supported human well-being across cultures for centuries. Together, we'll make space for all of it—the grief, the joy, the uncertainty, the breakthroughs, and everything in between.
My role isn't to tell you who to become or what path to take. Instead, I help you reconnect with yourself, trust your inner wisdom, and uncover what has been there beneath the pain all along. Because ultimately, my goal is for you to leave therapy listening to yourself more deeply than ever before.
my story
I knew at a very early age I was meant to help people.
That calling has taken many forms throughout my life. I began my professional career as a teacher, later worked as a school counselor, taught yoga for many years, and ultimately found my way to what feels like my life's work: serving as an integrative psychotherapist.
In every role, I've been drawn to the intersection of mind, body, and soul. For more than two decades, meditation has been a cornerstone of my own life and continues to shape the way I understand healing, growth, and transformation.
My approach has also been deeply influenced by my Ecuadorian and Mexican-American roots. Growing up, I was inspired by my great-grandmother, lovingly known as Tita, a respected curandera in her community who helped people through physical, emotional, and spiritual suffering. Her compassion, wisdom, and devotion to helping others left a lasting imprint on me and continue to inspire the work I do today.
The name Yellow Mariposa Soul Therapy was born from my own journey through grief after the sudden loss of my brother in 2012. During one of the darkest seasons of my life, yellow butterflies began appearing at just the right moments, becoming a symbol of hope, healing, and the possibility that my life could hold beauty again. One mariposa amarilla after another, the grayness that had consumed my world slowly gave way to color. That experience transformed my pain into purpose, deepened my commitment to this work, and taught me how to walk alongside others through loss, healing, and rebirth.
Those cultural roots also play a role in my work as a bilingual therapist, allowing me to support clients in both English and Spanish while honoring the unique cultural experiences that influence how we grieve, grow, and make meaning of our lives.
You can reconnect with yourself in the wake of loss, trauma, heartbreak, and the overwhelming realities of mortality.
my background
I specialize in helping adults navigate grief and loss, trauma, childhood experiences, relationship challenges, betrayal, divorce, anxiety, and life's most difficult transitions. Drawing from training in EMDR, Somatic Experiencing™, mindfulness, nervous system regulation, attachment theory, and psycho-spiritual healing, I support clients in reconnecting with themselves on every level.
My passion for this work also extends beyond the therapy room. I teach somatic-based workshops, consult, coach, and speak on topics related to healing, resilience, and transformation. I am also an approved Marriage and Family Therapy Supervisor, providing training and mentorship to the next generation of therapists.
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Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist, Nevada (LMFT #2672)
Master of Arts, Counseling — University of Nevada, Reno (2014)
Bachelor of Arts — University of Southern California (2002)
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EMDR Basic Training
Somatic Experiencing Practitioner Training (currently pursuing certification)
Certified Clinical Trauma Professional (CCTP)
Advanced Grief Counseling Specialist
Trauma & Grief Component Therapy (TGCTA)
Anxiety Certification (CBT & ERP)
Certified Meditation Teacher & Trauma Specialist
Instinctive Meditation® Teacher Certification
Certified Integrative Mental Health Professional
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Induced After-Death Communication (IADC)
Death Doula Training
Nutritional & Integrative Mental Health
Intuitive Trauma Recovery
Past Life & Between Lives Regression Training
Mindfulness, Meditation, and Consciousness Studies
Lean into your purpose.
Redefine your grief.
Step into the next version of yourself.
Sessions available in-person in Reno and online across Nevada.