Grounded in psychodynamic psychotherapy, Melina draws from attachment and developmental theory, family systems thinking, and contemporary understandings of the nervous system. She works with adults, couples, and families to deepen self-understanding and untangle emotional and relational knots that may be limiting connection, wellbeing, and personal growth.
Melina encourages clients to approach their experiences and life stories with openness and curiosity. With Melina, clients may explore current challenges, recurring emotional and relational patterns, and the interconnected nature of emotions, thoughts, bodily sensations, and nervous system responses. She supports clients in understanding psychological growth as an ongoing developmental process shaped by relationships, family systems, culture, and lived experience.
Rather than viewing symptoms simply as problems to eliminate, Melina understands them as meaningful expressions of the ways people have adapted in response to relationships and life circumstances. She invites clients to approach these patterns with compassion, creating space for greater emotional awareness, deeper insight, and new ways of relating to themselves and others.
Melina collaborates closely with clients to develop a therapeutic plan that reflects their needs and goals. As circumstances change, she revisits and adapts that plan accordingly. She views the therapeutic relationship as central to the work and strives to create a thoughtful, trusting space in which clients can explore difficult experiences with honesty and genuine connection.
Therapy is not about offering quick answers or telling you who to be. Rather, it is an opportunity to deepen understanding, discover new possibilities, and support lasting change. Melina considers it a privilege to accompany people through that process.
