Elizabeth Mellin, PhD, LPC, ACS

I specialize in working with people living at the intersection of trauma and chronic illness, including those who have spent years being dismissed, disbelieved, or told that their pain is all in their head. Trauma can take many forms, including childhood neglect, family conflict, relational abuse, medical harm, spiritual or religious trauma, or the quiet accumulation of being unseen and unsupported over time. I understand how trauma reshapes the nervous system and how chronic illness can amplify its impact, leaving you exhausted, alert, and disconnected from your own body. Together, we explore what healing can look like when the goal is not to erase symptoms but to live with greater ease and self-compassion inside the body you have. We might talk, pause, or notice subtle physical shifts. You will learn practical tools to regulate, to name what is happening, and to honor your body’s pace rather than pushing past it. Therapy with me is a space to slow down and come back into relationship with yourself. Many people arrive feeling stuck in cycles of tension, anxiety, pain, or self-blame, as if their mind and body have stopped speaking the same language. Our work begins with noticing what is happening inside you, gently and without judgment. As you tune in to sensations, emotions, and impulses, we explore what they might be trying to communicate. You begin to recognize the wisdom in your body’s signals and the protective patterns that once helped you survive but may now be holding you back. Over time, therapy becomes a process of loosening what feels tight, softening what feels harsh, and rediscovering the parts of you that still know how to rest and connect. My approach draws from mindfulness, somatic awareness, and trauma therapy, informed by advanced training in trauma, mindfulness, and sex therapy. I also weave in insights from Ayurveda, the Enneagram, and yogic wisdom, which offer compassionate ways of understanding how energy, temperament, and past experience shape the way we move through the world. These traditions help guide our work toward balance and wholeness rather than perfection. I integrate relational and attachment-based perspectives as well, helping you understand how early experiences and protective strategies continue to influence your present relationships. I especially enjoy working with women, nonbinary, and queer clients, and with anyone longing to feel more grounded, authentic, and connected in their own life. Many people come to therapy unsure where to begin. They just know they want to feel differently. Our sessions are not about fixing you but about helping you listen inwardly and respond with more kindness and clarity. You do not have to know what healing looks like yet. We will find the way together.