THERAPIST FOR HIGHLY SENSITIVE PEOPLE | WASHINGTON, DC & Maryland
ABOUT MELANIE eisner
“melanie is wholehearted in all of her work. she connects from an authentic place, treating each relationship with great care.”
SARAH SUZUKI, ACSW, LCSW, LADC
Hi, I’m Melanie, therapist for highly sensitive people. I can help you meet yourself in your messy and beautiful imperfection, build compassion for yourself, and recognize the gifts that you innately possess.
Over the last decade, I’ve gained a Masters in Social Work, received advanced training in Psychotherapy and Meditation, and had the immense privilege of supporting many clients overcome anxiety and depression, recover their creativity, and live life in a way that finally feels true to them.
But what most qualifies me to do this work is probably my own lived experience of being a Highly Sensitive Person. I know how it feels to be in the depths of self-doubt. I also know how incredible it feels to finally feel at home within oneself again.
A life that feels deeply authentic and joyful is absolutely possible for you. I’d love to show you how to get there.
these are the 3 pillars of my work:
mindfulness-BASED
Through mindfulness practices, I’ll help you get out of your head, and open up to the tender places within yourself with kindness, curiosity, and non-judgment. To be fully alive means to experience your range of feelings from the most painful to the most joyful, to have compassion for it all, and to live with more meaning and freedom.
psychodynamic
I believe that therapy is a sacred space that allows for a deep exploration of who you are. Part of this work is to uncover the unconscious: states of mind, patterns, and relationship dynamics that happen outside of your full awareness. Bringing to light what has been hidden gives way to insights and integrations that become pathways to change.
experiential
Therapy with me is not following a manual. It is an organism at the intersection of you and I which is constantly unfolding in the room. We’ll create a deeply safe and trusting space to decipher your relationship patterns - how some hinder, and others facilitate, connection, so you can enjoy more ease and intimacy in your relationships.
i am…
...a D.C. girl. I've lived in St. Louis, Chicago, and San Francisco, but I've circled my way back home. I'm a certified yoga instructor, and I've been a creative writer for most of my life. I also love being outside, drawing, books, podcasts, and heart to hearts over coffee.
i do…
...therapy because I was an 8 year old talking to my parents about infinity, how the world began, and other things that felt deliciously mysterious to me. As a teenager the mystery that caught my attention was the human mind. It’s a mystery that never gets old. The twists, turns, and textures of our lives endlessly fascinate me. While I still revel in the mysterious beauty of what makes us human, I’ve come to understand that what drives my learning about psychology is to understand how we can live our best lives and better connect with others.
i care…
…about your sacred place in this world, and am on a mission to help you live with more connection, joy, and meaning. I am dedicated to serving you with depth, authenticity, humor and presence.
melanie’s background
qualifications
Licensed Clinical Social Worker in MD (LCSW-C) #18291
Licensed Clinical Social Worker in D.C. (LICSW) #LC50079858
Masters in Social Work, the University of Chicago
Masters of Arts in Social Sciences, the University of Chicago
Bachelor of Arts, Washington University in St. Louis
ADVANCED TRAINING IN PSYCHOTHERAPY
Narrative Therapy Training, Narrative Therapy Initiative
Internal Family Systems Training with Richard Schwartz (Cape Cod Institute)
Certified in Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy (AEDP) Level 2
Fellowship, Institute for Contemporary Psychotherapy and Psychoanalysis
Intensive Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy, Washington School of Psychiatry
Dialectical Behavior Therapy Training, Northwestern Memorial Hospital
PAST CLINICAL EXPERIENCE
Suburban Hospital, Outpatient Addiction Treatment Center
Children's National Medical Center
The Native American Health Center, San Francisco
Graduate Internship at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Chicago
ADVANCED TRAINING IN MEDITATION
Zentensives (two), week-long silent meditation retreat for psychotherapists with Lawson Sachter
Power of Awareness, Mindfulness and Compassion training with Tara Brach and Jack Kornfield
Mindfulness for Clients with Shame and Fear with Tara Brach
InnerYoga Intensive with Dina Amsterdam