Hi there, I’m Mel!
I am a Licensed Creative Arts Therapist. I guide highly sensitive, midlife women who grew up with narcissistic parents, to do the deep inner work that comes after survival. My approach blends IFS, Brainspotting, and spiritual attunement to help you trust your intuition and live from your core self. I offer virtual therapy throughout NY state.
Interviews featuring me
“Melissa brings realness with deep magic.”
~April Snow, LMFT
My Professional Bio
My therapeutic career is inspired by my devotion to singing. I received my bachelor’s from Berklee College of Music. Then I fell in love with the intersection of psychology and singing, and pursued my master’s in Music Therapy at NYU.
My music therapy training included leading songwriting groups for veterans, fieldwork in pediatric cancer care at Memorial Sloan Kettering and an internship at the mental health clinic Baltic Street in Brooklyn, NY. My master’s thesis details my work there helping singer-songwriters resolve trauma causing performance anxiety. I now provide therapeutic voice lessons online at youareasong.com.
I began to see the link between the loss of one’s voice and surviving narcissistic abuse. I was in the first training cohort for narcissistic abuse recovery lead by Dr. Ramani. To specialize in trauma, I was trained in IFS, Brainspotting and psychodrama. I integrate reiki, intuitive development, Enneagram and astrology in my private practice. I work with midlife clients who want to weave spiritual development with trauma therapy.
My Credentials:
BA Berklee College of Music (Voice)
MA Music Therapy (NYU Steinhardt)
Licensed Creative Arts Therapist (LCAT)
Board Certified Music Therapist (MT-BC)
New York Vocal Coaching Certified Voice Teacher
IFS Level 1 certified through the IFS Institute
The Inner Stage Psychodrama Trained (100+ hrs) with Valerie Simon, LCSW
CTI’s Co-Active Coach training (100+ hours)
Narcissistic Abuse Treatment Clinician (NATC) certification with Dr. Ramani
Certificate: Treating Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents - Dr. Gibson
IFS and Addiction - training w/ Frank Anderson, MD & Cece Sykes, LCSW
IFS & Ancestral Healing - course with Elah Zakarin and Dr. Daphne Fatter
Exploring Sexuality and Attachment with IFS - course with Victoria Kirby
“No Bad Charts” IFS & Astrology Training & Mentorship with Sarah Temel, LPC
Psychotherapeutic Reiki Training Level I with Jodi Silverman LCSW
Integrating Reiki and Psychotherapy course with Mikella Millen, LCAT
Brainspotting Phase 1 with trainer John Edwards, LCSW
Expansion Brainspotting with trainer Lisa Larson LCSW
Certificate in Somatic Embodiment Regulation Strategies - Linda Thai, LMSW
“Thank you for facilitating the connection with parts of me previously unknown. I’m so glad to know them and where they live. Our work together generated a powerful awakening and shift that is continuing to unfurl. You are genuinely gifted and designed to do this work.”
~James Naicker, LCSW
“Melissa is one of the most intuitive, understanding, honest, comforting and insightful therapists I know. It’s easy to have a feeling that she “gets it.” Her IFS training allows clients to have movement between sessions. I would highly recommend Melissa!”
~Anna Dziechowski, LCAT
“Cannot recommend Melissa and her approach, energy, training and personality enough. Within 5 seconds you will feel understood by her and calm enough to show up as your true self. That's a gift.”
~Brooke Brandeberry, LMHC
I was lucky enough to have an IFS and Brainspotting session with Melissa and was blown away by her warm, skillful, and completely authentic presence. Her energy made me feel safe to open up, even in our very first meeting, and I was able to uncover things I hadn’t accessed before. So many insights in a single session! I can’t wait for my next one.”
~ Dr. Valerie Camarano, PsyD
“Melissa is masterful and talented at leading groups. She has a strong presence. I felt so safe and heard even while discussing a difficult topic. It was a relief to connect with others going through estrangement. It changed something in me to be a part of a community.”
~Janice Rick, SEP
“This was the best money I’ve ever spent! I loved the group and am telling everyone about it. It’s hard to find a provider that I trust on this topic. This was the first time I didn’t feel ashamed or silenced when talking about my narcissistic relative. The tools have helped me find calm and peace.”
~Erin Iwanusa, LCSW
Thank you for the wealth of information, expansion and reflection your group has been! Your enthusiasm for and knowledge of this work is infectious, and I feel so grateful to have been a part of this experience.”
~ Lauren M., LCSW
“Melissa ‘got’ me. Quirks and all. Her expertise in IFS and her ability to weave astrology, intuition, and the esoteric with fluency and ethical grounding created a space where I felt both supported and challenged. Her guidance, authenticity, empathy, ferocity, humor, and deep intuitive knowing were essential to my reclamation of my inner (and outer) voice. She helped me trust myself, embrace my spiritual gifts, and step fully into the passion and career shifts that now feel aligned.” ~Melissa E. Crim, LPC
"Melissa created a safe, warm place of comfort for me to be able to open doors into myself I didn't even know existed. I feel more empowered. I can hear my inner wisdom and am more connected to my internal compass. Life is less complex now because I feel less complex to myself. I can navigate my world easier. She shared tools of healing that were simple, safe and effective that I can take with me forever. Every session was about building, not a plateau. I grew emotionally, spiritually, psychologically. Melissa has a vulnerability and authenticity I haven't seen in my other therapists. She shares her own sensitivity - like a good friend comes and says "I will feel this with you." I felt very seen and supported and it helped me break down major emotional walls." ~Anonymous