Dr. Elizabeth "Elspeth" Mellin

Many of us come to therapy looking for peace. Often, that means learning to relate to suffering in a new way, not trying to eliminate it, but also not letting it define the whole of who we are. This is a trauma-informed, mindfulness-based therapy practice. In my work, I help people find a middle way: a grounded, compassionate path between avoidance and overwhelm, between forcing change and feeling resigned to pain. We are human not in spite of our suffering, but in the way we learn to meet it. Although I work with many forms of suffering, I am especially skilled in helping people navigate chronic illness, existential distress, end-of-life questions, grief, loneliness, and trauma. I especially enjoy working LGBTQ+ elders and those reflecting on identity, belonging, loss, meaning, and legacy in later life. Many of the people I work with have prior experience in therapy and are at a point in life where they long for something deeper. They may be seeking a more spacious, reflective form of care than mental health TikToks, quick strategies, or brief therapy can provide. Together, we create a therapeutic space where day-to-day concerns can soften enough for you to reconnect with what matters most: your values, your relationships, your sense of self, and the life you want to keep moving toward. The work I do with clients is both practical and depth-oriented. It is practical because we attend to the real conditions of your life, your symptoms, relationships, losses, responsibilities, choices, and needs. It is depth-oriented because we also make room for the larger questions beneath them, such as: What gives your life meaning? What stories have shaped you? What are you ready put down and to reimagine? As a compassionate, nuero-informed companion to this kind of exploration, I help people slow down, identify what matters most, reauthor stories that keep them stuck, relate to pain differently, and build a deeper relationship with themselves. This work often involves practicing The Middle Way: learning to hold complexity, to make room for grief and possibility, acceptance and change, tenderness and courage. This type of therapy is intentionally slow. Rather than rushing toward easy answers, we make space for the questions that matter most and allow them to guide us toward a life shaped by values, connection, and meaning. Therapy with me begins with building a trusting relationship. After the first four sessions, together, we will consider whether we’d like to continue working together or move in another direction. I find this is the most effective way to evaluate fit, rather than making such an important decision in a 15-minute consultation. If this resonates with you and you are in a place where you have the capacity and motivation for this type of therapy, please reach out.