Mel Whalen

My approach to ADHD is grounded in respect for the whole person and an understanding that challenges with attention, organization, motivation, or emotional regulation do not exist in isolation. We can explore how ADHD intersects with your identity, relationships, work, environment, and other experiences that may be affecting your day-to-day life. I aim to create a supportive space where you can better understand your patterns without judgment and develop strategies that work with your brain and your actual circumstances. Because every person experiences ADHD differently, our work will be individualized and collaborative. We may draw from approaches such as parts work, somatic therapy, narrative therapy, and other integrative strategies to better understand what gets in the way and identify realistic ways to make daily life more manageable. Progress does not have to mean becoming a completely different person or forcing yourself to function according to someone else’s expectations. It may look like feeling less overwhelmed, understanding your needs more clearly, developing more sustainable routines, navigating emotions with greater ease, improving relationships, or becoming more confident in advocating for yourself and your needs. Ultimately, progress means finding ways to make your life feel more manageable, meaningful, and aligned with who you are.

Integrative therapy means that we do not rely on a single approach for every client or every situation. Instead, I draw from Somatic Experiencing, EMDR, parts work, and humanistic narrative therapy and thoughtfully combine these approaches based on your needs, experiences, and goals. We will work collaboratively to understand what is happening in your life, identify patterns that may be keeping you stuck, and develop practical and meaningful ways to move forward. Sessions are collaborative and transparent, with space for you to share what feels important while also working toward goals that feel realistic and humane. Depending on what you are experiencing, we may explore how stress and difficult experiences show up in your body, work with different parts of yourself, process past experiences, or examine the stories and beliefs that have shaped how you understand yourself. The goal is not to force you into a particular treatment model, but to find the combination of approaches that feels most supportive and useful to you. Over time, therapy can help you feel more grounded, understand yourself with greater compassion, navigate challenges more effectively, and create a life that feels easier, more meaningful, and more aligned with your values.