Melanie Gilpin

I am a licensed clinical psychologist and mother of two grown children. Having worked extensively with my own conscious and unconscious dynamics over the course of a long-term analysis, I bring life experience, maturity, and insight to the therapeutic encounter. I am told I am grounded, thoughtful, kind, and intuitive. My clients are ordinary people with ordinary human challenges. Perhaps you seek a better sense of yourself so you can live life to its fullest. Perhaps you face choices that seem overwhelming or mutually exclusive. You may be struggling in a relationship or may experience ways of being that no longer serve you. Using empathy and intuition I hope to find underlying causes of symptoms. Working with my own dreams and those of others I have discovered they have practical applications by bringing attention to specific issues: offering insight into physical symptoms, hinting at solutions to problems, shining fresh light on relationships. You need not be a dreamer, but should a dream come, together we will explore its relevance in your life. My approach with couples draws on Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) to enhance openness, attunement, and responsiveness. I enjoy helping couples by providing a place where they can speak frankly with each other. For clients suffering from trauma related difficulties, I may call on Brainspotting, a powerful technique that uses the visual field to access areas in the brain where the deepest emotions and body experiences are held. I also call upon my training in non-touch Reiki to ground both me and my clients, and I help clients acknowledge and access their strengths. My professional training includes a two-year predoctoral residency at The Community Institute for Psychotherapy in San Rafael with individuals, couples, at-risk children, and Adolescents. At my post-doctoral residency at the University of California, San Francisco I did brief, solution-focused therapy with medical professionals, faculty and staff and I conducted mindfulness groups. I work with adults of all ages, culture, and ethnicity, either individually or as couples. I welcome you wherever you are on your life's journey and look forward to walking with you on the path to becoming your best self.