Melanie Shirley, LCPC
Therapist | Teens, Young Adults & Adults
Addiction • Trauma & Crisis • Anxiety • Depression • Dual Diagnosis
I work with teens and adults navigating addiction, trauma, anxiety, depression, and other challenges that can make everyday life feel overwhelming or difficult to manage. My approach is compassionate, flexible, and individualized, with the understanding that what you need from therapy may change as you grow and move through different seasons of life.
As a Certified Trauma Professional, I take a trauma-informed approach while drawing from evidence-based therapies to help clients better understand what they’re experiencing, develop practical coping skills, and work toward meaningful and sustainable change.
You Might Be a Good Fit If...
You’re navigating addiction, substance use, or recovery
Anxiety or depression is affecting your everyday life
Trauma or difficult experiences continue to influence how you feel or respond
You’re managing both substance use and mental health concerns
You’re a first responder experiencing stress or the effects of difficult experiences
ADHD is affecting focus, routines, relationships, or emotional regulation
Family conflict or relationship stress is becoming difficult to manage
You’re navigating infertility, pregnancy, postpartum changes, or PMDD
You want therapy that combines practical tools with deeper emotional work
My Approach
My work may incorporate:
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
Addiction & Recovery Therapy
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
Emotion-Focused Therapy
Internal Family Systems (IFS)
Motivational Interviewing
Trauma-Informed Care
The specific approach we use will depend on your individual needs, experiences, and goals.
You don’t need to fit into one therapeutic approach for therapy to be effective. My goal is to understand what you’re experiencing and use the methods that best support your individual needs.
I draw from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), EMDR, Emotion-Focused Therapy, Internal Family Systems (IFS), Motivational Interviewing, and addiction-focused treatment approaches.
Depending on your goals, our work may involve processing difficult experiences, understanding patterns, strengthening emotional regulation, developing healthier coping skills, or creating practical changes you can carry into everyday life.
My approach is flexible and collaborative, with the goal of helping you build greater stability, confidence, and connection while creating treatment that can grow and change with you.
How I Can Help
Addiction & Dual Diagnosis
Substance use often exists alongside stress, trauma, anxiety, depression, or other mental health concerns. I work with clients to better understand the role substances may be playing in their lives while also addressing the emotional and behavioral patterns that can make change difficult.
When substance use and mental health concerns occur together, our work can focus on both rather than treating one in isolation.
ADHD & Emotional Regulation
ADHD can affect much more than attention. It may influence routines, organization, relationships, emotional regulation, and self-confidence.
Therapy can provide space to better understand these patterns while developing practical strategies that work with the way your brain functions rather than against it.
Perinatal, Postpartum & Women’s Mental Health
Pregnancy, postpartum changes, infertility, and PMDD can bring significant emotional and physical challenges. Therapy can provide space to process what you’re experiencing, understand the impact on your relationships and sense of self, and develop strategies for navigating these changes with greater support.
Trauma & Crisis
Trauma can affect emotions, relationships, reactions, and your sense of safety long after the immediate experience has passed. Crisis experiences can also leave you feeling overwhelmed, disconnected, or unsure of how to move forward.
I provide trauma-informed care that allows us to work at a pace that feels manageable while developing tools for greater stability, understanding, and healing.