Are you looking for a safe space in which you can be understood and supported? If the answer is "yes", please read on... My name is Melanie. My strengths-based approach to therapy positions you as the expert in your own life. I welcome people struggling with mood disorders, trauma, grief/loss, complex medical conditions, and addiction disorders. We will work together to break down the issues that have grown so big that they have become unmanageable. I want to help you feel empowered and centered. You know your problems. I can help you develop solutions.
The most important part of the first session is for you to check me out. Do I seem like a good fit? The therapeutic relationship is often the most transformational tool in this process. I need to be someone you think you can trust with your vulnerability. I tend to ask a lot of questions about what your are struggling with now, what your history entails, and anything else that will help me begin to understand the context of your current problems.
I have a lot of experience in the health care system- navigating insurance companies, behavioral health levels of care, self-management of physical health conditions and community resources that help support people in need. My style of practice is conversational. I love hearing stories and I love telling stories. Stories allow us to see connections we may never have imagined existed. They stimulate imagination which is a powerful tool when we feel stuck. Everything has a beginning, a middle, and an end. I am good at helping people discover their next chapter.
I welcome black and brown people, queer people, and people belonging to marginalized groups. I am also well-positioned to serve people of West Indian descent and first-generation Americans.
I'm keenly interested in how your past has added to your current distress. My strengths-based approach to therapy positions you as the expert in your own life. You know the problems, and I can help you develop the solutions.