Find a Therapist in Goodlettsville, TN

Hi, I'm Melissa. I'm glad you're here. I believe therapy is about more than reducing symptoms. It's about better understanding yourself and creating meaningful, lasting change. While your past may have shaped who you are today, it doesn't have to define your future. Together, we'll explore the experiences, patterns, and beliefs that may be contributing to your current struggles while focusing on the life you want to build. My approach is integrative, trauma-informed, and personalized because I believe every person deserves care that reflects their unique story, strengths, and goals. I often work with individuals who appear to have it all together on the outside but quietly struggle with anxiety, perfectionism, people-pleasing, unresolved trauma, or relationship challenges. Using evidence-based approaches, including EMDR and mind-body interventions when appropriate, we'll work to better understand what's keeping you stuck, develop practical tools, and help you move forward with greater confidence and emotional balance. Finding the right therapist is an important decision, which is why I offer a complimentary 10-minute phone consultation. It's an opportunity to ask questions, discuss your goals, and determine whether we're the right fit for one another. Taking the first step isn't always easy, but it can be the beginning of something meaningful. I'd be honored to support you. "Often when you think you're at the end of something, you're at the beginning of something else." — Fred Rogers

I help couples and individuals navigate trauma and deepen their relationship to themselves and others. Things can often feel uncertain, unsteady, or overwhelming, but you don't have to do it alone. Maybe you're shaken by a career shift, a breakup, becoming a parent, facing past trauma, or maybe you know something's "off" but need some help figuring out what "it" is. You're seeking relief, but more than that, you want meaning, clarity, and a stronger connection to yourself. You’re not just looking for symptom management, but real transformation. In our work together, you can expect to move through discomfort as we work to understand and accept the not-so-easy parts of ourselves and your experience more fully. We will identify patterns, thoughts, and behaviors in an active way. That means we won’t just sit in self-discovery; we’ll incorporate tools that support the positive change and healing you deserve. My work is trauma-informed, culturally responsive, and deeply client-centered, because your story deserves to be told and honored in full.

Do you find yourself completely exhausted at the end of each day from the effort it takes to go through the motions? Maybe you spend so much time focused on internal worries or past experiences that you feel disconnected from those around you or like life is passing you by. The clients I work with share these struggles. Despite being hard-working, successful, and invested in their relationships, they often feel as though their efforts are never enough. They just don't feel like themselves. Whether you've been feeling this way for a while or noticed a recent shift, you deserve to feel like yourself again. Feeling sure of yourself and confident in what you have to offer is not out of your reach. Together we can explore how your past experiences may be impacting your view of yourself, emotional experiences, and current relationships. We can work together to help you enrich your life and experience growth, healing, and overall well-being. Therapy is not a one-size-fits-all experience. In order to fit the unique needs of each client, I use an integrative and multicultural framework to build a collaborative relationship that honors each client's unique and diverse identities, values their strengths, and fosters personal insight, & empowerment. Reach out for a free 20-minute consultation today!

I provide therapy with individuals from various socio-economic, cultural, ethnic, educational, and other diversified backgrounds. With over 18 years of experience in the mental health field, I provide support and practical feedback to help you effectively address the challenges you are facing in your life. With compassion and understanding, I work with you to help you build on your strengths and attain the personal growth you are committed to accomplishing. Much of my job is to ask you questions you may not have asked yourself, and to help you think about yourself and your problems in a new way. I am dedicated to providing you with an opportunity to overcome the obstacles that have been preventing you from reaching your goals or from being your best self. My approach is grounded in evidence-based practices, with flexibility and an understanding that one treatment approach doesn't work for everyone. I possess a Master of Science in Social Work degree from the University of Tennessee an accredited school of Social Work and a Bachelor of Social Work degree from Lipscomb University, and an Associate of Applied Science degree in Mental Health from Belmont College. I am a Licensed Master Social Worker (LMSW) with the State of Tennessee and a member of the NASW. Acceptance and Commitment (ACT) Cognitive Behavioral (CBT) Compassion Focused Culturally Sensitive Eclectic Family Systems Interpersonal Intervention Mindfulness-Based (MBCT) Motivational Interviewing Person-Centered Psychoanalytic Solution Focused Brief (SFBT) Strength-Based Trauma Focused

If you are reaching out now, there is a good chance you have been carrying a lot on your own. You might feel overwhelmed, stuck, worn down, or unsure of your next step. You may be looking for relief, but also for clarity and a sense of direction. I work with adults and older adolescents who are dealing with stress, anxiety, low mood, grief, trauma, and major life transitions, as well as long-standing patterns that keep getting in the way of feeling grounded. In our work together, I will take you seriously and meet you where you are. I am a licensed clinical psychologist with over 20 years of experience, and I take a practical, thoughtful approach that blends evidence-based tools with deeper work around meaning, patterns, and purpose. Some sessions are skills-focused and help you manage what is happening day to day. Other sessions make room for the parts of your story that still carry weight, so you can hold the past differently and feel freer in the present. You do not need the perfect words to begin. We will move at a pace that feels workable and keep the work connected to your life. My goal is for you to leave therapy with more clarity, steadiness, and confidence about how to move forward.

Another sleepless night kept awake either by nightmares, haunting images from the past, or memories that you can’t push away? You’ve tried almost everything to keep the past in the past, but no matter what happens, the past keeps showing up in all the reminders around you in your daily life. The traumatic event(s) were awful enough, reliving them again and again in your mind and body just seems unusually cruel. You’ve tried keeping up appearances at work, around family, but the more you try, the more disconnected you feel. Maybe these events happened long ago, or perhaps some are more recent, and yet you keep wondering if there’s something wrong with you that you can’t just “get over” them. You’re not “crazy” or “broken”, and there is hope. This does not have to be a life sentence of suffering after you’ve already experienced more than enough with these traumatic events. There are very effective treatments that have shown reliable results, to help you move forward. In addition to decreasing moments of reliving traumatic events, and the need to avoid anything that reminds you of them, you can: 1. Reconnect to those most important to you 2. Shift from self-blame and shame to a more non-judgmental, understanding, and compassionate self-view 3. Find meaning, satisfaction, and fulfillment in your work, activities, and daily life 4. Have a sense of hopefulness again, and more freedom to do what is most important to you

Finding the right therapist can be incredibly frustrating. We know how tiring and costly it can be to repeat your story to multiple therapists, only to find they aren't the right match. That's why our Therapy Services Specialist and Clinician Manager carefully vet every therapist applying to PSYCH?. We prioritize ensuring a great match between clients and clinicians. After all, no matter how much of an "expert" a therapist may be, it won't matter if there's no genuine connection with the client!

I believe that successful therapy incorporates a sense of openness, humor, communication, flexibility, and practicality. I aim to work with you to build on your existing strengths while developing new strategies and behaviors for overcoming adversity. I will teach you how to accept what's out of your control and put your energy and commitment towards taking action in the areas you can control. Step by step, your life improves and becomes more rich, full and meaningful. You will learn to deal with your painful thoughts and feelings more effectively so that they have less of an impact and influence over you. I also help to clarify what is most important and meaningful to you. When working with couples, I teach relationship skills that focus on acceptance of differences, empathy, and safe communication. Conflicts are seen as opportunities for growth, rather than as threats to the relationship. I facilitate a safe space to explore relationship difficulties with the intention to create a deeper sense of connection and understanding. Couples are taught to cooperatively and creatively solve problems by shifting the paradigm from "what's good for me" to "what's good for us".

I am passionate about providing individual therapy to adult women and men. I invite you to a safe, nonjudgmental place where we slow things down and begin listening to what your mind, heart, and body are communicating - to what has been asking for attunement with care. As a trauma-informed therapist, I guide you through your personal narrative to uncover your heart’s pain, heal from inner wounds you carry, and find lasting freedom. My approach is warm and down-to-earth. I am passionate about providing unconditional positive regard, genuineness, and empathy in a sacred space for you to come just as you are. I will hold your story with dignity and compassion. I will sit with you in the painful stuff and walk alongside you on your healing journey. I also lead women’s therapy groups designed for sharing, reflection, and connection. In these groups, women process past experiences, gain insight into patterns that shape their lives, and find encouragement and a sense of belonging through listening and support from others on a similar path. I developed a three-day trauma intensive combining EMDR therapy with a spiritually grounded approach. This evidence-based method addresses the emotional, psychological, physical, and spiritual impacts of trauma, helping clients reprocess distressing memories and experience deep restoration, clarity, and lasting transformation. Whether through individual sessions, groups, or trauma intensives, taking the first step in therapy can feel uncertain, yet it’s also an opportunity for meaningful growth. My goal is to support your growth, self-understanding, and emotional well-being. I walk alongside you with compassion and collaboration, helping you uncover strengths, navigate challenges, and move toward a more authentic and fulfilling life. I warmly invite you to reach out. I would be honored to walk alongside you on your healing journey.

I specialize in EMDR and help adults and teens work through complex trauma, attachment wounds, anxiety, and the effects of a sensitive or overwhelmed nervous system. My approach goes beyond managing surface-level symptoms. Together, we’ll gently explore the roots of what you’re experiencing, process what your mind and body may still be holding onto, and create space for healing and lasting change. I also have a special passion for supporting parents of children with big behaviors. With first hand knowledge as a foster, adoptive, and biological parent, parenting can feel especially overwhelming when your child’s needs are intense or difficult to understand. I help parents better understand what may be underneath their child’s behavior, respond from a place of connection rather than exhaustion, and build greater confidence in their parenting.