Merrily Neill was born in Akron, Ohio and named after a comic character in the comic strip, Terry & the Pirates.  The character's name was Merrily Saunders and her mother promised herself that, if she had a little girl, she would name her Merrily.  Merrily has been married to her husband, Jim for nearly 30 years and has two grown children, a daughter named Amber and a son named Erik.  Her life has also been enriched with a granddaughter named Willow, for whom Merrily provides regular care.

After moving around the northeastern part of the United States growing up, Merrily settled in Houston, Texas for 12 years, where she finished college and obtained her masters degree, met her husband and bore her two children.  While she loved Houston, she sought a safer environment in which to raise her children.  So, in 1982, Merrily and her family moved to Carrboro, NC, where she still resides.  The private psychotherapy practice began in 1977 and moved from Houston to Carrboro with the family.

Merrily continues to seek educational experiences through college courses, workshops and reading up on current discoveries in psychotherapy.  Her entertainment comes from singing, quilting, designing web pages and playing with her granddaughter.

One of Merrily's new clients asked the question "Have you suffered?"  The answer is yes.  Merrily has buried both parents and an unborn child.  Her first marriage was destroyed by alcoholism and ended after 9 years.  After being remarried for 3 years and having her daughter, she suffered a ruptured appendix and came close to death at the age of 35.  She suffered from adolescent depression, weight problems, and grappled with growing a marriage and the attendent difficulties of raising two teenagers.  None of us succeeds in life without suffering.  Learning from the challenges builds strength and perspective.

Merrily has no retirement plans.  She has too much fun at her work.