Qualifications/credentials

• BA in Psychology

• Masters in Social Work, Clinical Concentration

• Masters in Public Health, Concentration in Health Promotion and Behavior

• LCSW in the state of NC, License #C013156 and NY #094744

• RYT-2oo (registered yoga teacher)

• SEP (Somatic Experiencing Practitioner)

• More on relevant additional trainings here

are we a good fit?

I tend to do my best work with adults (of all ages) who are motivated to understand themselves more deeply and in incorporating somatic work + may find themselves struggling with self-trust, relationships, anxiety, trauma (developmental/attachment or shock trauma), burnout, chronic illness, or chronic stress. Often times many of these struggles and symptoms intersect and manifest as both mental and physical symptoms.

I also enjoy working with therapists (in training, new or experienced) and those in helping professions who may be feeling the stress, vicarious trauma or burnout of being in the field. If you’re curious if we are good fit, please reach out to schedule a free 15 minute consult here!

Meet melissa

This is usually the part where people expect to hear about education, training and experience and while I do think that’s important, mostly for ethical reasons and standards, I don’t think it’s the most important part (but you can read more about mine here). In fact, research and anecdotal evidence tells us the therapeutic relationship is the best predictor of outcomes. I approach the therapeutic process as an ever evolving client-centered relationship, one built on trust, attunement and compassion. I believe the best therapists infuse their own humanity into the process, because after all, we are navigating this complex experience of being human too. In addition to my skills and training, I also bring my own lived experience as someone who is dedicated to their own process and has been on (and still is) on the other side of the couch.

I take an integrative mind-body approach, meaning I see each client as a unique individual and we will explore different avenues of healing together beyond and in addition to traditional talk therapies— we invite the body to be a part of the process, utilizing our own physiology and neurobiology to support healing. Since our autonomic nervous system is a system built off experiences then it makes sense our early and formative experiences and relationships have an impact on us from attachment style to the way we view ourselves and the world. Since it is *also* true our nervous system has the ability to be reshaped, we have the capacity to be agents of change in our own lives, no matter our past or how hardwired some of our responses feel. I can think of almost nothing more inherently resilient than our own neurobiology. Two things you may not have had then, but you can build now: awareness and agency. I work with you to co-create an experience where no matter who you are or what you have gone through, you are invited to transform your relationship to self, others and the world through our supportive work together. My hope is that, even though it won’t necessarily always feel good, the process ultimately feels like a (re)discovering, a “homecoming” of sorts. My office is currently mostly virtual and available to residents of both North Carolina and New York, with an in person option located in Asheville, NC.

In my free time, you can find me doing my best to practice what I preach and teach— resting + honoring my capacity, spending quality time outside and/or with my people, reading five different books at a time very slowly, studying and attending trainings to satiate my own curiosity of the human condition (forever student), or re-defining what it means to be a cool cat lady.