Psychodynamic Therapists in Washington, DC

Since 1991 I have been helping clients resolve the conflicts that have been preventing them from achieving their potential. I help women navigate the ups and downs of infertility treatments and identify the best ways to achieve their dreams of motherhood. Using my background in Employee Assistance work, I help clients gain perspective on workplace conflicts, resolve performance issues, and clarify professional goals. I help clients looking for love to identify their barriers to intimacy, examine expectations, and give relationships a chance at success. I have a special interest in holistic treatments.

My goal as a therapist is to help clients embrace their authentic selves, foster meaningful relationships, and improve their quality of life. I work to create a safe and accepting environment that values the unique personality, lifestyle, and goals of the individual. My clinical expertise includes treatment of eating disorders, trauma, anxiety, depression and self-harm behaviors.

Melissa is a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker. She received her Bachelors and Masters degrees in Social Work with a minor in Spanish and an emphasis on childhood trauma. Melissa has worked with youth and young adults of all backgrounds in community-based settings and utilized trauma-focused CBT, mindfulness/somatic, and relational psychodynamic approaches. She believes in centering the person, focusing on their strengths, and works within a feminist, anti-oppression lens. Melissa enjoys partnering with clients to work through self-esteem issues, trauma, relationships, attachment, spiritual issues and grief.

Therapy should be a very personalized experience. I work with my clients to develop a therapeutic strategy that fits your specific needs, so we can work towards real improvements in your quality of life. My preferred approaches are solutions-focused and client-centered, including cognitive behavioral and psychodynamic therapy. I have worked extensively with clients seeking to address addiction, depression, anxiety, and many other challenges.

I work with clients who are motivated to seek change and/or those facing major life problems/transitions, psychological difficulties or interpersonal conflicts.

In times like these, mental health can be a fragile thing. You might be feeling sad, stressed, anxious, detached, irritable, or just plain ground down. The one thing you don’t feel like is yourself. Under the surface of your day-to-day burdens, there may be deeper concerns calling for your attention. Perhaps your relationships are stagnant or suffering. An old betrayal or grief might keep coming up. However it looks, you deserve to live in better conditions. We can help you stretch your innate capacity to live a life with more freedom, choice, and possibility.

There are few things more painful than feeling isolated and alone. Many people enter therapy because they are feeling alone, disconnected and their relationships are suffering. I see therapy as a place where you can feel truly heard, seen, and understood and it is in this safe place that you can begin to make more satisfying and effective life decisions. I work with people to help them understand the unconscious role they may be playing in life decisions and to develop a life of confidence and joy. I work with adults, couples, and families around issues of depression, anxiety, relationship problems, and addictions.

Do you feel “stuck” in repeating patterns? Do you long for a change but can’t seem to make it happen? Or have you recently made a big transition and need help adjusting? Has trauma – either a one-time life event, or an ongoing stressful situation – stopped you from living fully? I help individuals and couples identify goals and the barriers to reaching them. With a collaborative and supportive approach you will find purpose, confidence, and belonging. My approach emphasizes self- determination and collaboration, drawing on evidence-based talk therapies and mind-body approaches like EMDR, mindfulness meditation, and yoga.

Everyone deserves to live a life filled with happiness, health, and love. Whether you are within recovery, active addiction, experiencing relationship concerns, or looking for additional support with life stressors, I practice in the belief that every individual maintains unique strengths and positive qualities that assist in any stage of healing. Throughout the therapeutic process, I strive to empower individuals to identify and build on these strengths in order to reach their desired goals.

Welcome! My primary goal as a therapist is to help you feel safe and comfortable exploring your concerns and challenges with me. Therapy can be both a difficult and rewarding endeavor, and I feel privileged to get to share with my clients in their fears, hopes, and joys. My hope is to help you feel comfortable and understood in delving into your own life and identifying areas where you wish for change. In my practice, I integrate elements of mindfulness, humanistic, and psychodynamic therapies to help you find new ways to relate to difficult emotions.

At some point in our lives many of us will struggle with anxiety, depression, loss, relationship problems, career concerns or life transitions. If you are facing one or more of these challenges, I believe I can help. I am a licensed psychologist providing counseling and psychotherapy to adults in Washington DC. I have experience working with diverse clients on a wide range of issues. Depending on your needs and goals, I integrate various therapeutic approaches and treatment models, including psychodynamic , cognitive behavioral, interpersonal and mindfulness.

I believe each of us has the innate ability to heal from past trauma and pain and nurture our authentic selves. My clients bring varied challenges to therapy including trauma, stress, anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, anger, grief, shame, and difficulty with transitions or relationships. Clients have told me I have been a safe person, empathetic and non-judgmental listener, trusted guide, and empowering source of support. I help clients engage in self-exploration, identify patterns and strengths, develop self-compassion and confidence, access calm presence, distinguish past from present, face fears, shift reactions, and thrive.

I believe that our life and cultural experiences, especially our earliest ones, are fundamental in shaping the way we view ourselves and others. It is essential to understand my patient's cultural identity (i.e., race, gender, gender identity, sexuality, class) and how it has shaped their development. Often negative life experiences can create problematic ways of coping and a skewed perception of who we are in the world. This can lead to a variety of issues related to anxiety, depression, shame, rejection, stress, relationship issues, identity development, grief/loss, and sexual intimacy.

Warmth, acceptance, and care. That’s how I approach every person that seeks to find peace while navigating life’s challenges. While I have had the privilege of working with and learning from diverse populations for 10+ years, my practice focuses on women who feel overwhelmed, are in a rut, and need support in exploring their purpose. I understand that the unique challenges women face impacts our ability to be authentic with ourselves and others, and can also prevent us from having the lives we want. My intention is to create a safe and compassionate space for women to feel seen, so they can truly see themselves.

Therapy is a unique experience for each person. It helps you learn yourself, your relationships (past and present), and how you interact with the world. It is a place of self healing and understanding. It is a place to find safety and refuge to manage stress,anger, guilt, anxiety, overwhelming feelings, trauma, interpersonal conflict, and significant life events. I work with youth and adults to help address these issues. I am trained as a psychodynamic therapist, practicing from a relational standpoint. I use several clinical approaches such as cognitive behavioral therapy, attachment theory, and trauma focused therapy as needed.

As a psychiatrist and therapist, I offer both medication management and psychotherapy, fitting best mental health needs. I work with adolescents, adults and couples. I can help with the effects of traumatic experiences, with troubles of everyday living, interpersonal difficulties, sexuality, or infertility/adoption issues. I can help if you struggle with anxiety, depression, grief or with not reaching your goals. I assist couples in resolving painful, conflicted relationship issues. I also provide long-term therapy for self-exploration, and for changing complex personality patterns that make everyday life difficult.

I place great importance on creating a non-judgmental atmosphere where the person that I am seeing can talk comfortably about their difficulties without fear of stigma or criticism. My approach is one of discovering the links between past and present relationship patterns, and using these insights to foster change and growth. After over thirty years in the field, I believe that I have developed the ability to understand a situation quickly, and to communicate recommendations in an empathic and sensitive manner. I am able to work in brief psychotherapy, and wish to provide genuine help as quickly as possible.

For many, this current period of uncertainty and global distress has increased pre-existing stress and interpersonal issues. I am here to help. I work collaboratively with my clients to honor who they are, help make sense of their emotional responses to daily experiences, and guide them to become more authentic in their relationships. My approach is nonjudgmental, reflective and oftentimes playful. During our sessions, I help clients make connections between current problems and past struggles. Understanding these patterns builds self-awareness and helps create more adaptive ways of coping with stress and relating to others.

Hello and thank you for having the courage and strength to learn more about YOU. Psychotherapy is a process and a process that I will take with you. About me: I began my career over 20 years ago, and have worked in several grassroots organizations with the common mission of empowering individuals. I have a love for service and advocacy particularity for the most vulnerable and disenfranchised groups.