Creative therapy with a coaching edge

ONLINE THERAPY FOR PEOPLE WHO WANT TO LIVE DIFFERENTLY.

BASED IN BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS. SERVING ADULTS IN MASSACHUSETTS AND FLORIDA

Feeling Lost and Overwhelmed?

Feeling stuck can be torturous. You cycle through the same thoughts again and again. You struggle with one indecision after another. You try to motivate yourself, find direction and focus, but nothing works. Together, we can help you find your way out of that stuck place and toward a future that feels exciting to you.

I work with problem-solvers who have hit a wall.

Problem-solvers are analytical folx who, with enough hard work and dedicated thinking time, can usually find their way through any challenge. But all of their problem-solving acumen isn’t working right now. They need help getting to the root of things. And, ideally, they’d like someone who can keep up with them. Their thoughts move so fast and in so many directions that they often feel like others don’t understand them. 

I will follow your tangents and help you tie together multiple strands of thought. In our work together, we will move from the concrete to the abstract and back again. We’ll listen closely to your thoughts, while also making space for your feelings. For those of us with finely honed thinking skills, our feelings often get short-shrifted. In therapy, we’ll talk, we’ll write, and even use metaphor and imagination to help you have clearer access to your feelings and to know what to do with them.

While our work together will go deep, we’ll also make space for trying tools, discovering new ways to look at things, and building  on your strengths.

You’ve thought about therapy in the past, but have been hesitant to go. What if it’s too touchy-feely? What if it doesn’t help? Who needs to wallow in the hard feelings?

You’ve tried to calm your mind with meditation apps and yoga. You even lit that scented candle that was gathering dust in the closet. And, some of those things worked… kind of. You’re wanting something that dives deeper and helps you better understand the patterns that you’ve begun to notice in your life.

In our work together, we’ll explore and make connections between different parts of your life. We’ll notice patterns and get to better understand them. We’ll make space for forward movement and planning. We’ll find approaches that help you unlock your thinking and find new perspectives.

I can help you find your way out of the stuck place.

I come from a family of engineers and artists. I understand the tension and energy that happen at the intersection of thought and feeling, of observation and imagination. Our work will take place at those intersections.

Over the years, I have trained in incorporating the arts into therapy, using mindfulness and play to help heal trauma, as well as incorporating imagination and humor into therapy. All this work has helped me see how important visualization and metaphor are for helping open our perspectives. In our work together, we can experiment with different approaches and see what works best for you.

Melissa is smiling, her head cocked to the right. She is a white, cis-gendered woman with blue eyes and brown, wavy hair. She wears glasses and a chartreuse-colored button-down shirt.

Specializations

Clients say that I’m able to meet them in both the intellectual place and the feeling place. As one client recently put it, “Melissa, you’re good at working with nerds. You understand us.” 

What did they mean by that? I appreciate and value different approaches to life and have a soft spot for folx who feel just a bit different, like they don’t quite fit in. I welcome your tangents and your logical side. I want to hear about the current interest that’s absorbing your attention and making you feel alive. I welcome all of you into the therapy space.

Melissa stands atop a mountain. In the background are pine trees and an icy ridge. She is in the foreground, wearing a fuchsia-colored fleece and a backpack. Hiking poles can be seen over her left shoulder.
An abstract illustration of hills and mountains in both warm and cool colors.

  • Education and Licensure

    Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker #116166

    MA in Clinical Social Work, Smith College School for Social Work

    Advanced Professional Certificate in Expressive Therapies, Lesley University

    BA in Psychology, Wesleyan University


  • Training & Certifications

    Level 1 Internal Family Systems

    Training in the treatment of ADHD

    Training in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

    Training in utilizing play to heal trauma

    Training in utilizing mindfulness-based approaches to heal trauma

  • Professional Associations

    National Association of Social Workers

Curious about working together?

PHILOSOPHIES

  • Everyone is welcome.

    I strive to make my practice inclusive and affirming of all identities and backgrounds. To support this, I work to continually build my own learning and accountability around personal biases and privilege.

  • Meeting you where you’re at.

    We are all figuring out our own journeys. You know your path better than anyone else. You also know what’s best for you. I want to help you gain clarity on what feels right to you and support you in living the life you choose.

  • Venturing outside of talk therapy.

    While conversation is a wonderful base to work from, other forms of expression– writing, drawing, marking-making, role play, etc– can help us process at a deeper level, as well as gain new perspectives.

  • Celebrating the positives.

    Recognizing what’s going well is as important as exploring the hard things. In our work together, we will make space to talk about your strengths, to highlight the things in your life that feel good, and to expand on the things that you feel excited about.

FEELING READY TO GIVE THERAPY A TRY?

METHODS

  • INTERNAL FAMILY SYSTEMS

    Through understanding that each person has multiple ways of being, IFS makes space to compassionately explore the conflicting emotions and thoughts that are inherent to being human. IFS allows you to understand how past experiences may shape how you feel and act today.

  • COGNitive Behavioral Therapy

    CBT focuses on the connections between thoughts, feelings and actions. It can help you recognize how patterns in your thoughts affect your feelings and behaviors. CBT provides tools you can use in everyday life to understand and cope with strong emotions.

  • Creative Approaches

    Using creative approaches to therapy, such as drawing, writing, role play, and mindfulness, can help explore areas that feel hard to access through words. Have you ever felt like you’re having the same thoughts again and again? Non-verbal forms of expression can open up the spaces where you feel stuck.

  • Therapy with a Coaching Edge

    Through using elements of coaching and positive psychology, our work together will help you identify and build on strengths and resources you already have. These methods will also help you move toward goals that are important to you.