About Melanie
 

Hello! My name is Melanie Swallow (she/her), and I am honored to be a part of the Health Allies team.  I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with over 15 years of experience in the field. I have dedicated my career to working with underserved populations across the lifespan, offering trauma-informed care and strengths-based support. I am passionate about providing education related to trauma and mental health challenges as a way of breaking down the stigma of mental illness and helping people feel empowered to be an active participant in their healing and recovery.

I take a systems approach and understand that our context matters in the shaping of our problems and paths to healing. I am committed to helping people approach mental health holistically, with consideration of the mental, emotional, environmental, and spiritual factors that affect who they are and how they experience the world. I have an integrative approach that is deeply rooted in anti-oppressive practice. I have training in various modalities of trauma therapy, and am comfortable utilizing interventions based in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), mindfulness, motivational interviewing, and somatic-based therapies. I am a Certified Dialectical Behavior Therapy Professional (C-DBT) and have practice in personalizing these valuable interventions to a variety of challenges, including with those who experience extraordinary states and perceptions, or what is often defined as psychosis. I also bring valuable lived experience as an individual and family member of those affected by mental illness.
 

My approach is collaborative, and client centered. I combine evidence-based practices with a warm, non-judgmental atmosphere to create a safe space where clients can explore their thoughts, emotions and experiences while developing skills they can integrate into daily living. Together we can navigate challenges in ways that can foster light, health and healing in their lives and relationships.

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Areas I like to work in include:
 

• Trauma and PTSD

• Bipolar Disorder

• Depression

• Psychosis

• Grief and Loss

• Life Transitions

• Anxiety

• Stress Management

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