(she/her)
Often rebooked
Hello there. I am a clinical psychologist licensed in California and Massachusetts. I encourage you to give yourself credit for making this difficult first step in seeking help and for prioritizing your mental health. I hope you acknowledge these wins. I enjoy serving individuals with depression, anxiety, and low self-esteem. Many of my clients grew up with family dysfunction or have experienced other adverse childhood events. I enjoy helping clients work through issues that stem from these experiences.
In our first session, I will introduce myself and my approach to therapy. I will encourage you to share what has led you to therapy and what you are hoping to gain from our time together. I will ask you questions about your clinical history and your life experiences to understand who you are, what you value, and what your unique therapy needs and preferences may be. This will help us determine a collaborative plan for how we can work towards achieving your unique therapy goals.
My style is client-centered, while also drawing upon insight-oriented, cognitive behavioral, mindfulness, attachment-based, and internal family systems techniques, when appropriate. As a therapist, it is a privilege to accompany my clients on their healing journey and to witness their victories along the way. I help clients discover valuable insights about themselves that will lead to lasting change. I believe in my clients, and I seek to connect them with an inner wisdom that each of us has, that, if accessed, can lead to a more fulfilling life. If this sounds like a good fit for you, I look forward to connecting with you.
I welcome my clients to a gentle, supportive, and nonjudgmental space where they can openly process their feelings and concerns. If you are someone who struggles with worry, despair, guilt, shame, self-doubt, or low self-esteem, or is often critical of yourself and has trouble with relationships, I can help you understand where these issues come from and how to overcome them. I strive to help clients feel more at peace, believe in themselves, recognize their strengths and abilities, treat themselves with greater kindness and compassion, and develop more nurturing and satisfying relationships.
Other specialties
I identify as
Cash - $140 per session
Aetna
Aetna - Allied Benefits
Aetna - ASR Health Benefits
Aetna - Luminare
Aetna - Medicare
Aetna - Moda
Aetna - WebTPA
Aetna – HealthEZ
All Savers
Anthem
Arlo
AvMed
Blue Benefit Administrators of Massachusetts (BBA)
Blue Cross
Blue Cross Blue Shield
Blue Shield
Centivo
Cigna
Cigna - HealthEZ
EAP:UnitedHealthcare/Optum
Evernorth
Golden Rule
Harvard Pilgrim
Independence Administrators
Independence Blue Cross
Optum
OptumHealth Complex Medical Conditions
Oscar
Oxford
Surest (formerly Bind)
Tufts Health
Tufts Health/Cigna
United Medical Resources
UnitedHealthcare Life Insurance
UnitedHealthcare Shared Services
UnitedHealthcare StudentResources
UnitedHealthcare/Optum
Person-centered (Rogerian)
I provide a supportive and nonjudgmental space for clients to process their feelings and concerns and to feel heard, understood, and accepted. I strive to understand my clients' unique perspective and to help clients discover solutions aligned with their individual values. I view my clients as experts in their own lives who are worthy and capable of change, regardless of their situation. My clients will gain greater clarity of who they are and what their needs are, learn to trust themselves more, and feel more confident in their abilities and decisions.
Cognitive Behavioral (CBT)
Many people enter therapy with a harsh inner critic. I aim to increase a client’s awareness of harmful self-judgments and other counterproductive thought patterns (e.g., catastrophic reactions, all/none thinking) that lead to emotional suffering and unwanted behaviors. I help clients re-evaluate and reframe how they talk to themselves and begin to view themselves through a more constructive and sympathetic lens. I also help clients learn to manage emotional takeovers that hinder them with the use of effective coping and self-soothing tools. I strive for my clients to feel more at peace, to be more self-compassionate and confident, and to behave in a way that is more aligned with their true self and life values.
Psychodynamic
Sometimes we may be unaware of how our early life experiences are influencing our current life challenges. Emotions and memories from difficult times can be so painful that they are cast outside of our conscious awareness, and yet continue to influence how we feel, think, behave, make decisions, and interact with the people in our lives. I help clients become more aware of how adverse childhood experiences, family dysfunction, and past relationship wounds may still be affecting them and their relationships today. I help clients become more attuned to their feelings and underlying needs, and assist clients in letting go of unhealthy coping mechanisms that no longer serve them. With these insights, my clients develop more effective coping tools, learn to tend to their needs in healthy ways, and foster healthier and more fulfilling relationships with themselves and others.
4 ratings with written reviews
June 15, 2026
My 1st session with Dr. Melville left me feeling proud of myself for making the right decision. I felt safe and honestly heard by someone who seems not just sincerely caring about my situation and wanting to help, but professionally equipped enough to do so. She had a realistic understanding and kind approach that felt very honest, which is ultimately what gave me the confidence needed to discuss some painful things.
November 18, 2025
Dr. Melville has helped me so so much! I have grown so much in my sessions with her. She is always understanding and empathetic and respectfully pushes me to dig deeper into our topics. I've learned so much about myself through our sessions and experienced a tremendous amount of growth. Her approach to therapy is empathetic listening and intelligent questions that encourage you to reflect.
May 14, 2025
If you have the opportunity to have a deep conversation with someone, is her. I always get so excited when our session gets closer to the start time. And a relief when I hear her voice. She’s the smartest and sweetest person ever. She makes life better just by being in it.