Today we’d like to introduce you to Melanie Reese
Hi Melanie , can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I’ve been holding space as a therapist since 2011, but I’ve been holding space for others my entire life. Whether I was on the phone scheduling an appt, on an airplane or in line at the grocery store, those I crossed paths with shared their stories with me. I was the one in the friend group that you talked to about the hard stuff. In my family, I was the one that talked about feelings and mediated arguments.
When it came time to pick a major in college, I landed on Human Development and Family Studies. I’m very curious by nature, so I wanted to learn what made us humans “tick”. My parents divorced my freshman year of college and that led me to take an elective about couples and marriage. This planted a seed! Seven years later, I found myself married (unhappily) and realizing I wanted to be a therapist, but needed a master’s degree to do it. So I enrolled and got started. I was getting divorced as I was graduating from my masters program to be a Marriage & Family Therapist. Oh, the irony!
I worked in community mental health for about 4 years. You get exposed to all kinds of clients dealing with all kinds of issues. It’s a necessity for a new therapist, if you ask me. As an intern, it was a running joke that all the complex trauma cases landed on my schedule. A little secret, as an intern, you have NO idea what you are doing. In my attempt to figure it out, my fascination and love of working with trauma was born! I quickly realized that while talk therapy was great, it wasn’t enough to handle the trauma sitting across from me. I’d heard mention of a trauma therapy modality called EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing). This was back before it was an “it word” in mental health! So, I found a trainer to come teach a small group of us EMDR. It was amazing! I started seeing shifts with my clients that I just couldn’t get to with talk therapy.
While the EMDR was working wonders for my clients, it didnt work for everyone. I realized that if I didnt have this amazing tool, I’d have no idea how to treat trauma. I needed to truly understand the concept of trauma and what it actually meant for those that expereinced it. That led me to pursue more education and I became a Certified Trauma Therapist.
A few years later, I was doing EMDR with a client and getting stuck. A therapist across the hall from me told me about a modality called Brainspotting she had recently trained in. With the client’s permission, I had this therapist come in and work her magic using Brainspotting. The client was able to process what we were getting stuck on and I knew this was something I had to look into. So, I went and got trained! I’m now a Certified Brainspotting Practitioner, a Consultant for others getting certified in the modality and assist with trainings.
When COVID happened, I was a sole practitioner seeing about 26 clients a week. I couldn’t keep up with the demand and was getting burned out pretty quickly. A therapist (who still works with me today) reached out and asked if I was hiring, It had not crossed my mind, but I said “let talk”! As the universe would have it, this kept happening and I now have a group practice of 8 therapists, all specializing in the treatment of trauma!
Currently, I work with clients looking to dive deeper into their healing process beyond talk therapy. I offer Trauma Therapy Intensives and often blend EMDR, Brainspotting, IFS Parts Work, somatic therapy and Ketamine Assisted Therapy. I also enjoy teaching through licensure supervision, consultation and guest lecturing at local universities.
I also co-host the podcast “Im’ Fine, It’s Fine” with Nashville based comedian, Amber Autry. It’s a refreshing and uplifting podcast that tackles deep topics with a light-hearted approach. We aim to create safe spaces for comedians, entertainers and practitioners to open up and share their experiences with mental health and trauma. We hope to remind folks that it’s okay to not be fine and destigmatize talking about mental health and seeking support, when needed.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It definitely wasn’t a smooth road getting here.
On the business side of things, I had to learn everything the hard way and by making mistakes. If you run your own practice, you aren’t just a therapist. You are your own an accountant, admin assistant, web designer and marketer – and they dont teach you any of this in school!
On the personal side of things, going through a divorce while starting a new career and business was really difficult. I had no money and the divorce broke my confidence as a therapist. I thought, “If I cant help myself, how will others trust me to help them?” I felt like an imposter. Turns out, your own struggles teach you a lot and better equips you to help others. (Post-traumatic growth!)
As you know, we’re big fans of Trauma Therapy of Nashville. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
I am the founder of a group therapy practice, Trauma Therapy of Nashville, LLC. We offer a holistic approach to mental health and trauma healing. We believe our mind and body are deeply connected and approach mental health wellness with the whole person in mind.
What sets us apart from most practices is that all of our therapists aren’t just trauma-informed, they are trauma-trained. Each therapist is trained in EMDR and/or Brainspotting and have additional trauma specific trainings depending on their areas of focus. We are collaborative with other practitioners and tailor our approach to fit the client’s needs. We meet regularly to support each other in this work. So you are getting an integrative, team approach to your care when you work with one of our therapists.
OUR THERAPISTS SPECIALIZE IN WORKING WITH INDIVIDUALS AND COUPLES DEALING WITH:
Trauma, C/PTSD, Chronic Pain/Illness, Existential Exploration, End of Life Fear & Anxiety, Attachment and Relational Wounding, Couples, Addiction, Grief & Loss, Anxiety & Depression, Athlete Mental Health, High Achieving Individuals, Sexuality Related Issues, Multicultural & Racial Issues, Sexual Assault, Disordered Eating & Body Dysmorphia, OCD, Neurodivergence, LGBTQIA+, Struggles within the Entertainment Industry, Spiritual/Religious Trauma & Abuse, Career and Major Life Transitions.
OUR THERAPY OFFERINGS INCLUDE:
Individual Trauma Therapy, Trauma Therapy Intensives, Couples Therapy, EMDR, Brainspotting, Ketamine Assisted Therapy, Psychedelic Preparation & Integration, Art Therapy, Internal Family Systems (IFS – parts work), Hypnosis, Somatic Therapy, Play Therapy and Group Therapy.
What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
The need for good mental health care isn’t going to change anytime soon! My hope is that we see more creativity and collaboration in mental health communities! Where we move towards working together rather than separately. So many therapists have the dream of creating a treatment center, a group practice, retreats, workshops or a specialized way to offer services, but still do it individually. I wonder how much more we could do in creating access to quality care if we joined forces in our communities!
Pricing:
- Individual Therapy Sessions: $100-$200
- Groups: $25-$65
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.traumatherapynashville.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/traumatherapynashville/
- Other: https://www.instagram.com/imfineitsfinepodcast/
