Melissa has been working with individuals, couples, children & adolescents for 20 years. She has had a lifetime dedication to helping people work out challenges that keep us “stuck,” and understanding the impact of unhealthy relationships, past and present, and unhealthy thoughts. She understands that there are patterns of thinking that color or cloud a healthy perspective, but we often embrace them, believing them to be the truth. She believes her responsibility in therapy is to help people identify and move past the challenges and thought patterns that hurt us, moving toward living with clarity, great humor, peace, and fulfillment.

In addition to her experience working in both outpatient and inpatient clinical settings, she worked with Baltimore City Public Schools for over a decade, supporting the need for school-based mental health, and addressing trauma at the earliest developmental opportunity. Interventions applied early, can be profoundly life changing, and Melissa focused her clinical expertise toward our most vulnerable population, using trauma informed care, crisis intervention, emotional regulation evidence-based practices and provision of intensive mental health support. During her time with the district, she worked with community partners to educate and bring awareness about human sex trafficking in Southwest Baltimore, support in-school mental health services for the Latine immigrant population, and develop curriculum in support of social/emotional learning.

Melissa holds an undergraduate degree in Psychology and a Master of Social Work, with a concentration in Clinical Social Work. Certified in Functional Behavioral Assessment and BIP development along with 504 plan development, Melissa advocates for individuals impacted by social/emotional and mental health disorders that limit their ability to function fully in professional or academic settings. She places an importance on continued learning in support of her work with individuals and couples, with a clinical interest and expertise in trauma and post-traumatic growth, anxiety, conflict resolution, and navigation of challenging life transitions (i.e. pregnancy, and postpartum experience, undergraduate and post-grad life, young adulthood, partnership, divorce.)

"Through years of therapeutic practice, I've learned how to use my professional training and life experience, to validate and support the experiences of people I work with. I believe therapy should be a compassionate and non-judgmental space, without barriers to collaborative dialogue. I use a therapeutic approach which incorporates best practice from Trauma Informed Care, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Brief Solution Focused Therapy, and the Gottman Method in couples work. I believe in a strengths-based approach that is friendly and direct, and guided by the individual needs of the client. My clients learn to challenge and replace irrational thoughts, beliefs, and feelings, with a healthy and clear perspective…an incredibly liberating process, when the we find we are free from toxic thinking and now able to experience real change."

Sometimes it feels like we are not making progress toward our life objectives, or sometimes like the coping skills that once worked are no longer working. Maybe you are experiencing challenges with self-esteem which is getting in the way of positive change. Maybe you are experiencing symptoms of anxiety, depression, or difficulty adjusting to a transition in your life.

I will provide a safe, affirming place, free of judgment or criticism, where together we can help you connect with your thoughts, feelings, and behavior in relation to yourself and others. Together we can help you identify what is getting in the way of making progress toward your life objectives. I will help you build on your strengths, learn new skills, and start on the path to an increased sense of wellbeing and resiliency.

Lindsay has worked with individuals, couples, children, and adolescents in a variety of settings including outpatient mental health centers, private practice, and prisons. Lindsay has a joint honors undergraduate bachelor's degree in Philosophy and Women’s Studies from McGill University, a graduate certificate in Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health from Montclair State University, and a master's degree in Social Work with a clinical behavioral health concentration from the University of Maryland. Lindsay has additional training as a Certified Trauma Professional. Lindsay is an LGBTQIA+ affirming therapist. Lindsay uses an eclectic approach informed by attachment theory, ACT, CBT, and psychodynamic therapy.

Though change is scary and can be painful, change is necessary to help us get unstuck, and when we get unstuck, we open ourselves to new possibilities and new opportunities. Even a small change will help you move toward your goals.

The therapeutic relationship is one where the potential for transformation is abundant. To ensure a secure relationship, I prioritize and nurture compassion, non-judgment, collaboration, and a sprinkle of humor in my practice. Working alongside the client, my intention is to create a space where you may get to better understand yourself, leading to changes, both profound and subtle. I have particularly succeeded in helping people manage and/or reduce anxiety and depressive symptoms.

I hold a BA degree in Psychology from SUNY Binghamton and Master of Social Work from the University of MD, Baltimore. I have been practicing Clinical Social Work since 2018 and have extensive professional training and experience in trauma work (specifically through the use of Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Instinctual Trauma Response) and grief and bereavement therapy, including Prolonged Grief Therapy. Much of my work has focused on teens and adults, including persons of marginalized identities, in which their unique realities are heard and validated within our practice together. More specifically, I have significant experience working with members of the Latinx/Latine community and offer services both in Spanish and English.

Through our work together, my aim is to lighten whatever has been feeling heavy to allow moving through life in a way that feels more safe, grounded, and fulfilling.