Melinda McGarvey

Are you feeling anxious, overwhelmed, frustrated or misunderstood? Do you ever feel exhausted or resentful from trying to make sure everyone else is happy, trying to keep from rocking the boat and putting your own needs off? Maybe you a high-achiever who has met all the qualifications and still feels nagging self-doubt? If you want to feel safer and more confident interacting with others, I would like to help you understand your emotions and improve balance and connection in your relationships. My approach is strengths-based, and my therapy style is open, warm and collaborative. I create space for you to feel truly accepted, present and hopeful. I work to help clients gain insight and learn skills they can use on their own. While I do have clients that I have seen longer-term, I am not the kind of therapist that expects people to come in at the same time each week for years. Many of my clients come in to work on something that has built up and feels hard right now, and as they gain insight, use new approaches and begin to feel better, they often move toward spacing out sessions and "graduating" from therapy. Often, clients notice significant progress in six-to-twelve sessions. Sometimes they come back if a check-in or additional support feels helpful. My Background and Training I have completed advanced training in Gottman Method and The Developmental Model, and this informs my work with both couples and individuals who are feeling stuck or confused in their relationships. I am trained in EMDR and I am IFS-informed, and I enjoy exploring with people different parts of themselves and helping them understand their sometimes seemingly-competing agendas. I incorporate Cognitive Behavior Theory and teach communication skills that people use right away for some symptom-relief. Some clients find that helpful enough, and others choose to continue working to better understand underlying themes or larger issues that may be present. In addition to offering traditional therapy where sessions take place weekly or every-other week, I am happy to be as flexible as I can to provide what feels most helpful to each client. Sometimes this can involve longer sessions or intensives to help people get off to a strong start or to make more meaningful progress in working through a larger issue. I also offer workshops and training for organizations who want to learn how to communicate more effectively. My undergraduate degree is in economics, and prior to becoming a therapist, I worked in technical sales and marketing, and I did change-management consulting for major corporations. I also have experience working with and living in military and Foreign Service communities in the United States, Europe and South America. If you are curious about working with me, please send me a message. I am happy to provide a free initial consultation to answer any questions and explore whether I might be a good fit to support your goals.