Hi, I´m Melanie. I’m autistic and queer and provide neuroaffirming talk therapy. 

People come to me when they are looking to explore their neurodivergence, their queerness, their disability, or their marginalisation without having to do a lot of explaining.

I also specialise in resolving trauma, which is a lesser known skill in the therapy world. More in the next section:

WHEN HEALING HASN’T “WORKED”

Let me know if this sounds familiar.

You’ve been working on your mental health for ages, and in some ways you’ve improved, but in other ways it feels like you have gotten nowhere.

You have read the self-help, talked about your past, and tried to build a good life.

You’ve grown, and maybe learning about neurodivergence or queerness has helped, but you still have this sense that something is missing.

Something is stuck.

You still feel anxious, panicked, sad, angry, or numb, sometimes with no clear reason. 

You still have sleep disturbances, are vigilant, or feel constantly tired, like there is malware slowing down the processing power on a computer.

You still feel enraged or terrified or completely detached when you think of awful things that happened in the past. 

Perhaps you have found, bafflingly, that when you talk about your traumas, you don’t actually feel any better afterward.

Or perhaps you can’t identify any particular big event or series of events from your past, so it is confusing to you why you connect so closely with the markers of post-traumatic stress.

Talk therapy alone is often not sufficient to access and release trauma where it is stored in the bodybrain.

I provide a different approach: trauma therapy that, when successful, can permanently heal trauma, bringing an end to post-traumatic stress.

When successful, the long-term effect of trauma therapy is that you can acknowledge the event or scenario happened, and perhaps you still feel it was wrong, but the nervous system doesn’t go into overdrive or shut down every time you are reminded of it.

Additionally, in a successful trauma therapy scenario, the unconscious holding of those memories no longer impacts other parts of your day-to-day life. 

There are lots of types of trauma therapies that work this way (listed on my blog here), and I use one in particular because I think it’s great for autistic people and ADHDers. It’s called Brainspotting.

TRAUMA HEALING THERAPY

I draw from two main approaches in therapy: person-centred (this is the foundation of modern standard talk therapy) and the aforementioned form of somatic trauma intervention called Brainspotting.

Brainspotting is a cousin of EMDR and uses the gaze (through the optic nerve) to access the limbic system of the brain, where trauma is stored, and permit trauma processing with the support of the therapist.

It also draws from Somatic Experiencing.

Brainspotting combines a strength of EMDR – the sheer processing power, which can be a lot for autistic folks in pure form – and a strength of Somatic Experiencing – the groundedness discovered in the body that can take the edge off the processing.

Unlike most talk therapies, it is designed to work quickly.

It is ideal for suspected or confirmed trauma, PTSD, and C-PTSD. It can be modified for camera-off therapy participants, and can incorporate verbal processing or allow you to process in silence. The silent processing is ideal for people who maybe don’t want to talk about what happened. It also generally requires less multitasking than EMDR, which can make it easier for many ADHDers.

You also don’t necessarily need to remember what happened for Brainspotting to be effective - we may be able to work with other distress indicators like emotions, pain, or sensations.

In session, you will always be in the driver’s seat about when and how much Brainspotting we do – I am merely the facilitator providing a tool and a supportive presence.

I also provide talk therapy on its own if you prefer without exploration of trauma

GETTING STARTED: LOW-COST CONSULTATION

So that it is easier for therapy participants to tell if I am the right fit for them, I offer a 20-minute consultation at a lower cost of €25. That can be booked here.

The consultation is a shared assessment of fit — not measuring worth or desirability, but ensuring the support offered truly matches what you need and what I can provide with integrity.

The aim is always to protect your care and my capacity, so the work can remain grounded, respectful, and emotionally safe for both of us.

You also have the option of starting with a 50-minute session, this will also be a mutual check on fit. That can be booked here.

I am unable to offer free consultations, but if cost is a barrier to therapy you can check out Violet Psychology’s Low Cost Therapy page.

VALUES & POLITICS IN THERAPY

Capitalism, patriarchy, colonialism, white supremacy, ableism, transmisia, and homophobia have fashioned a world which constantly retraumatises marginalised people.

This will of course come up in the therapy room, and I am able to hold it with you.

The therapy I provide is LGBTQIA+-affirming, neuro-affirming, disability-forward, transfeminist, critical of white supremacy, and competent in ethical non-monogamy.

While I make mistakes in the therapy room, you can count on therapy that is free of capitalistic platitudes which bypass the real structural problems that marginalised groups face.

Therapy cannot fix capitalism, but it is my hope that it can equip you to face what’s out there and what’s ahead.

IDENTITIES

I identify as autistic, possibly ADHD, queer, chronically ill, disabled, and leftist.

I’m cis but have spent many years close to members of the trans community. For a therapist with lived experience of transness, check out the Our Team and Low Cost Therapy pages.

THINGS I CAN’T PROVIDE

At the moment I’m not set up to provide therapy interventions for OCD, BPD, eating concerns, psychosis, or addiction. People who are part of these communities deserve care and support.

We may be able to go ahead with sessions if you also happen to have these experiences or conditions, and I know about them, but the therapy I provide is not set up to fix or manage those things.

Brainspotting may eventually heal the trauma that causes some of those experiences, but it is not built to manage those stressful experiences in the short term. 

So, you might need other supports alongside our work, or be best working with another person from our team. 

I also am not skilled to work with couples or ‘cules. Check out Elinor Rowlands and Laurie May Atkinson for ENM-competent and gender expansive relationship counselling.

QUALIFICATIONS

I am an accredited graduate member of the Psychological Society of Ireland, member number M13603.

I completed my BSc in Psychology at Arizona State University and my MSc in Psychological Science at the University of Limerick. 

I trained in LGBTQIA+ counseling with the Trevor Project (Saving LGBTQ+ Lives) out of West Hollywood, California, and have done extensive continuing professional development on autism, ADHD, dyslexia, and dyspraxia.

I am currently qualified to practice in Ireland, Europe, and the UK.

I have completed Phase 1 Brainspotting Practitioner training with Brainspotting Ireland.

I am currently enrolled in the Ausome Training DAWN Autism Course, with expected completion in March ‘26.

FEES & BOOKING DETAILS

Melanie works solely online.

Melanie’s fees are: €85 for a 50-minute online session or €25 for a 20-minute online consultation.

Irish Life and VHI insurance policy holders with mental health coverage can submit claims for reimbursement on Melanie’s sessions.

Melanie can be contacted through our contact form or you can book a consultation on her booking portal.