Melissa Medina-Longbine

I'm a therapist who believes your should be able to talk about your life honestly without having to edit yourself to fit someone else's idea of of "normal". I believe a bit of whimsy goes a long way, in therapy and everywhere else.

I'm especially drawn to working with adults who are navigating identity, relationships, sexuality, family expectations, major life transitions, or simply the feeling that the life they're living doesn't quite fit anymore.

My approach is warm, direct, curious, and nonjudgmental. I'm not interested in telling you what your life should look like, rather, I want to understand what matters to you.

I understand that therapy doesn't happen in a vacuum. Race, culture, immigration, gender sexuality, religion, and community all shape how we experience ourselves and our relationships.

Who I Work Well With:

• People of Color
• People navigating multiple cultures
• LGBTQIA+
• Swingers or people part of alternative relationship communities
• People in polyamorous or ethically non-monogamous relationships

You don't need to be monogamous, heterosexual, married, partnered, or following a traditional life path to be valued and treated with respect.

I believe you're the expert on your own life, so we start with what you already know about yourself and build from there. I meet you as a whole person rather than a list of symptoms. I like to draw on somatic therapy to help you notice what your body is holding, solution-focused and problem-solving approaches when you want practical movement, and motivational interviewing when you're weighing a change.

I'll follow your pace, and I'll gently name patterns when I see them. My goal is for therapy to feel like a place where you can be honest- not performative and polished.

Your first session is a chance for us to get to know each other and see whether I'm the right therapist for you. We'll talk about what brought you into therapy, what you're hoping will be different, and what you would like support with.

The goal is to figure out what you need from therapy and how we can make our work together useful for you. You don't need to have everything figured out, you just need to show up as you are.