Hi, I'm Melayna. (she/her)
Licensed Clinical Social Worker in Virginia (License #0904020245)
I'm here to help you gain a deep understanding of yourself, strengthen your relationships, and find your own answers to life's big questions.
We've all internalized stories about who we are and who we're supposed to be. Some of these stories—shaped by power and handed down by our family, friends, and culture—pass as blueprints for a "good" life, when really they're just scripts for roles we never actually chose. Other stories were written by experiences that should have never happened to us. When we begin to notice them, we create the conditions for something more authentic and empowering to emerge.
Whatever we've been through, we don't have to be defined by it, and we get to decide what to do with it. By uncovering what we've inherited and gradually claiming more authorship over our own lives, we open up a more dynamic, unfolding sense of meaning—one that takes our histories seriously without being confined by them. In this way, we participate in our own becoming. And from that place, new ways of living, relating, and moving through the world begin to open up.
Background and Training
PhD in Philosophy, Georgetown University
MA in Philosophy, Georgetown University
MSW, Virginia Commonwealth University
Received multiple distinctions at Georgetown University associated with doctoral work in philosophy, including distinction on doctoral dissertation defense.
Published and presented philosophical research on topics such as psychotherapeutic process, mental health care ethics, and the impact of mental health diagnosis and treatment on identity.
Taught classes and authored research supporting marginalized groups and co-facilitated an initiative at Georgetown University to diversify academic syllabi in philosophy.
Completed EMDR training through an EMDRIA-approved program at The Institute for Creative Mindfulness as well as additional continuing education in trauma.
Pursued continuing education in anxiety and fear-related disorders through NOCD Academy, which included continuing education on exposure-based and cognitive behavioral interventions.
Completed clinical practicum at an eating disorder treatment center, in addition to publishing and presenting philosophical research on anorexia, identity, and mental health care.
Provided clinical services across higher levels of care, including partial hospitalization and intensive outpatient eating disorder programs, during clinical practicum.
Therapy with me may be different than what you're used to.
We aim to address the root, not just the symptoms.
We'll work toward relieving the immediate challenges bringing you in, like anxiety, overwhelm, or disconnection, while also looking beneath the surface to address the unhealed wounds and internalized pressures holding them in place.
We consider the layers of your life.
The patterns that feel most stuck aren't typically held in one place. They may live in the body, in automatic habits, in the stories you've absorbed and retell yourself, in the relational dynamics you keep finding yourself in, and in the world you're navigating every day.
We treat the world as a key part of the story.
By exploring how the challenges you're facing are shaped by family dynamics, social scripts, cultural expectations, and systems that placed you in certain roles before you had any say, we aim to understand the impact of what's been imposed to support you in stepping into more intentional ways of living.
We make room for the bigger questions.
As you address the challenges you're facing, bigger questions tend to surface: Who am I, really? What matters to me? What do I want to make of this life? Reflecting on these questions makes it possible to walk a more aligned path.
We use the therapeutic relationship as a vehicle for change.
Relationships are often where our deepest patterns surface most clearly and where the longing for something different is felt most acutely. The therapeutic relationship is a real relationship, one where we can explore those patterns and work toward experiencing what connection and repair actually feel like.
My background shapes this work in a distinctive way.
I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with a PhD in philosophy. My specialized training in trauma and experience as a psychotherapist assist me in developing safe, trusting relationships and equip me to utilize an integrative, evidence-informed approach to therapy aimed at fostering meaningful change. At the same time, my background as a philosopher gives me the depth and tolerance for complexity to accompany you through the layered challenges of existence—like love, identity, meaning, agency, freedom, responsibility, flourishing, and death. Together, these strengths position me to meet you in the fullness of your hopes and struggles, and to walk alongside you with steadiness and care as you navigate life's most meaningful and challenging moments.
I offer traditional standing sessions, extended sessions, and therapy intensives. Together, we'll find the format that serves you best.
If this resonates, the next step is simple.
If you are looking for a space to explore your experience more deeply and work toward meaningful change, contact us to schedule an appointment today!