Dr.Niloufer Merchant

Niloufer Merchant, Ed.D, is Professor Emerita at St. Cloud State University, Clinical Mental Health Counseling program in Minnesota, where she taught Counseling for 28 years.  She is currently practicing as a Licensed Psychologist in private practice in Minneapolis, MN.  She received her doctorate in Counselor Education from the University of Cincinnati, OH, and earned two Master’s degrees – one in Psychology from the University of Pune, India and the other in Counselor Education from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.  She is of Asian Indian heritage with an international background, born in the Middle East, and raised in India until she migrated to the US in 1983.

Dr. Merchant is a long-standing member of ACA and ASGW since the 1990s, and has held several roles including chairing several Diversity Committees, serving as Process Observer for three ACA Presidents, and 2 ASGW Presidents, President of ASGW 2011-12, ASGW Board Member from 2010-2017, and ASGW Representative for ACA Governing Council 2014-2017.  Dr. Merchant was awarded ASGW Fellow in 2014 and was the recipient of two ASGW President’s Awards in 2008 and 2011.  During her tenure as ASGW President, she spearheaded a strategic planning initiative based on a Policy Governance model that was used for several years in laying out clear vision, mission and goals for ASGW. 

Dr. Merchant’s scholarship over the years has focused on multicultural and social justice issues and its intersections with group work.  She has presented and published widely on racial and cultural identity, multicultural competencies and group work, including a book (Group Work in Community Settings), several book chapters, journal articles and co-author of ASGW Multicultural and Social Justice Competencies for Group Workers.  

For the past 15 years, Dr. Merchant has specialized in working with complex trauma with a focus on trauma related to racial/cultural issues.  She is certified in EMDR and trained in Brainspotting, Emotional Freedom Techniques and other somatic and mindfulness-based approaches.  She has worked with a wide array of populations including veterans, refugees/forced migration, immigrants, survivors of domestic violence, emotional abuse, sexual abuse, and early attachment wounds.

Throughout her career, Dr. Merchant has advocated for creating safe spaces for people of color in schools, universities, and community settings promoting antiracism and systemic change. Most recently her scholarship interests involves the application of Polyvagal Theory in understanding and healing racial and cultural trauma including presenting a TEDx talk which connects the principles of PVT to cultural practices and ancient wisdom (How My Nervous System became my Cup of Tea). She also serves on the Editorial Team and as a Course Partner of Polyvagal Institute. She has worked in collaboration with Deb Dana (leading clinician and author of PVT) and another colleague Gina Kiem in offering a 4-part PV”Tea” series for communities of color. She remains committed to community related work through community support groups, and various community talks and podcasts in connecting trauma, nervous system and embodied approaches in reconnecting to ancient wisdom practices for overall mind-body-spirit-cultural wellbeing.