Dr. Melissa "Kate" McIntosh

I’m a licensed clinical psychologist and creative arts therapist drawn to working with people who live, love, and process the world deeply—especially those in creative fields or on creative paths. My practice is a space for artists, seekers, and sensitive strivers who are ready to turn toward themselves with honesty, curiosity, and care.

I bring a depth-oriented, relational approach to therapy that honors both the beauty and the complexity of your inner world. With a background in clinical psychology (PhD) and creative arts therapy (MA), I integrate traditional talk therapy with embodied and expressive modalities to support a fuller, more integrated healing process.

Many of the people I work with are navigating transitions, grief, relational wounds, or questions of identity and purpose. Often, they sense that something essential is asking to be heard—and want support in listening and responding with clarity and compassion.

I believe in the power of honest dialogue, symbolic language, and creative process to unlock new insight and resilience. My style is warm, grounded, and attuned. Together, we can explore the patterns that shape your life and create room for more freedom, vitality, and alignment with your truest self.

My approach is relational, depth-oriented, and collaborative—with a healthy respect for the unconscious and a good sense of humor about being human. I believe that therapy can hold both profound insight and lightness. Sometimes laughter can break something open just as powerfully as tears.

I work psychodynamically, meaning I help clients explore the deeper emotional patterns and early experiences that shape how they relate to themselves and others. I’m also deeply grounded in the here-and-now of our therapeutic relationship, which often becomes a mirror for the dynamics we’re trying to understand and shift.

For creative clients—who often feel and see the world in layered, complex ways—I also incorporate expressive and embodied approaches. Whether it’s working with metaphor, dreams, image, or somatic awareness, I try to meet each person with curiosity, creativity, and care.

I specialize in helping people move through grief, transition, relational stuckness, and questions of identity and meaning. I work at a pace that honors your nervous system and your story. My style is warm, intuitive, thoughtful, and often playful.

Clients often leave sessions feeling more grounded, emotionally clear, and connected to their inner truth. I offer a warm, honest space where all parts of you are welcome—including the messy, uncertain, and humorous ones. Together, we’ll explore patterns, deepen self-understanding, and move toward more freedom, clarity, and self-trust. Therapy with me is real, relational, and rooted in your pace and process.