Morgan Gaeke, MA, LMFT, is a December 2018 master’s graduate from Saint Louis University with a degree in marriage and family therapy. Morgan became fully licensed as an LMFT in February 2022.
Morgan spent her internship year with BJC Hospice HomeCare in St. Louis. She provided expressive therapy for Wings pediatric patients and bereaved families in their homes and for adult hospice patients at the inpatient Evelyn’s House. She enjoyed serving adult patients and their families with the Lumina life review program, creating lasting legacies of patients’ lives in the form of written stories and scrapbooks. Morgan provided family therapy at SLU’s student-run community clinic, the Center for Counseling and Family Therapy, during her graduate education. She also has internship experience at AVERT Men’s Domestic Violence treatment group at Collaborative Solutions Institute in Bloomington, IL, while she was earning her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology at Illinois Wesleyan University.
Morgan and her husband, Nick, were born and raised in St. Louis, MO, where they went to high school together. She moved to Kirksville for his last semester at Truman State University, and, through him, met Dr. Justin Puckett. She and Dr. Puckett collaborated to bring her services to the Kirksville community. Nick is also a team member of Complete Family Medicine.
In her spare time, Morgan loves crime shows, sewing, reading, and tap dancing.
Additional Information
Marriage and Family Therapists are trained in psychotherapy and family systems and can diagnose and treat mental and emotional disorders within the context of the family. Family therapists often focus on harmful communication patterns and how family members relate to and treat each other. Morgan is a couple and family therapist who enjoys treating individuals, couples, and families of all kinds. She believes relationships with family, friends, loved ones, and others in the community are crucial to one's well-being. People often come to see Morgan in therapy for problems with parenting, couple distress, relationship issues of any kind, grief and loss, and coping with common but stressful life changes. Morgan has additional training in Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Levels 1 and 2 of Gottman Method Couple Therapy.
Morgan's Specialties:
- Child or adolescent struggles
- Relationship issues
- Family conflict
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Morgan is trained in levels 1 and 2 of Gottman Method Couples Therapy, which means that your treatment is based on decades of research by Dr. John Gottman and his wife Dr. Julie Gottman. Their books, blog articles, quizzes, and their podcast called Small Things Often, are great for making your relationship stronger before, during, and after couples therapy.
If you two are on the brink of leaving or divorcing, it’s helpful for her to know that when you schedule your first appointment. She can then use a different approach to help you decide how couples therapy can be helpful to you, what you are willing to change, and where your path leads next.
Here’s what Morgan knows to be true about couples:
- In every relationship we must balance independence and connection, or else conflict happens.
- Working on your relationship can reduce anxiety, depression, and other mental and emotional disorders, help your family function better, and improve your quality of life.
- You have to be willing to reflect on how you have added to the problems in your life and relationship. Each person is responsible for their own words and actions.
Here’s how couple and family therapy are different from individual therapy:
- Morgan gets to see with her own eyes how you interact together.
- Both sides of the story are heard, and yes, both are important.
- You get to try new ways of speaking directly to each other in real time.
To learn more about Marriage and Family Therapy, visit the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy website.