My desire is to come alongside you during life transitions, relationship issues and stressful times to provide a supportive and caring environment that assists you in dealing with life's difficulties. I work with women, adolescents and families struggling with anxiety, depression, addictions, faith-based issues, stress management, trauma, childhood sexual abuse, grief and relationship problems.

Melissa Murphy, LCSW-C, LICSW, LCSW, C-DBT, is a seasoned therapist and clinical director at Bethesda Therapy, licensed in Maryland, Washington D.C., and Virginia. Specializing in anxiety, depression, trauma, and OCD, she employs ERP (Exposure and Response Prevention) and Inference-based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (I-CBT), recognized as leading treatments for OCD. Melissa's expertise extends to managing mood disorders, sexual dysfunction, and pelvic pain disorders. Her approach is collaborative and strengths-based, focusing on developing personalized strategies for each client.

As a Gottman-trained couples therapist, Melissa is adept at addressing the complexities of relationships affected by ADHD and OCD. She also treats Body-Focused Repetitive Behaviors (BFRBs) and finds profound fulfillment in supporting therapists and those in helping professions. Her work is underpinned by advanced training in both Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT).

Telemental Health
Serving clients with Trauma, Complex Trauma, PTSD, Bipolar D/O, Anxiety, Depression and Gender issues

Hi! I believe that a fulfilling life is one built through connection with others as well as ourselves. I am excited about walking alongside you as we explore your relationship to yourself and the world around you. Together, we can work towards helping you create an authentic life!

I exclusive specialize in child therapy for ages 3-14 years old using Child-Centered Play Therapy. I own Lily Pad Child & Adolescent Counseling in Frisco, TX.

My formal education focused on psychology and clinical social work. My professional experiences have been in public schools, hospitals and outpatient clinics, the Military, international nonprofits, universities and various community settings. I currently have a private practice with offices in Napa, in addition to my virtual office, where I provide "teletherapy" to clients in both California and Texas.
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My therapy training began in public schools with special education, K-12. I counseled children with mental health concerns and led life skills groups. I worked intensively with adolescents (and their caregivers) in alternative school programs burdened by emotional concerns.
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I spent most of the next decade working in hospitals, both pediatric and adult, assessing and responding to a variety of issues including devastating diagnoses, chronic health conditions, end of life issues, infertility and pregnancy loss, postpartum depression, drug and alcohol abuse, domestic violence, sexual assault and mental health crises. During this time, I taught and supervised students for the University of Texas at Austin Graduate School of Social Work. After ten years, I shifted out of the hospital setting to therapist lead of an integrated behavioral healthcare network where I helped build a program for providing mental health and case management to a pediatric and family medical practice serving 30,000 low income families.
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An opportunity led me to England for two years, where I managed a prevention and education campaign related to new parent support and family violence prevention. I educated US Air Force members and families on topics such as stress and anger management, PTSD, resilience, healthy dating, couple's communication and parenting, while co-facilitating support groups on chronic medical conditions. During this time, I also worked with Airmen and families on managing stress before and after deployments and transitioning to civilian life after a military career.
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After a brief return to the U.S. to study Spanish at the Defense Language Institute of Monterey, I moved to South America and worked for the U.S. Embassy while volunteering with a Chilean nonprofit. During this time, I researched advances in counseling and coaching methodology. Although I have a working knowledge of Spanish, I do not provide services in Spanish at this time.
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In 2014, I relocated to Napa, pregnant again after experiencing pregnancy loss. After treating parents for postpartum depression and anxiety, I experienced it first-hand and became aware of a need for expanded maternal mental health support in my community. So I added services to my private practice that would address infertility, pregnancy and postpartum mental health support, Moxie Motherhood, and co-founded a pregnant and postpartum peer support program.
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For almost two decades, I have honed my clinical expertise from problem-focused to possibility-focused. I remain current on research and active in the professional dialogue of wellness, balancing my time between counseling, coaching, teaching, volunteering and parenting. Read more here.
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I welcome the opportunity to support you.

Clinical Psychologist, Professional Mediator and Arbitrator with considerable experience working with individuals (adult, adolescents, and children), couples, families, organizations, and other systems.

Trauma has a way of disconnecting us from ourselves and others. And if you’re anything like my clients, that sense of disconnection feels impossible to shake. When they first start therapy, my clients feel dissatisfied and disoriented with where they find themselves. They struggle to trust themselves. They feel stuck in self-criticism and people-pleasing. They feel alone, longing for genuine connection belonging. And they feel broken. Like my clients, you deserve to untangle yourself from the trauma and harm you’ve endured. You deserve to feel at home within yourself. To feel authentic connection in your relationships. To feel free.

I love working with adults navigating life after trauma who feel chronically disconnected because I’ve been there. As a survivor of complex trauma, I get it on a level I just couldn’t without living through it. I’ve climbed out of the valleys of despair and hopelessness, and I know it’s possible to reclaim your voice, experience restoration, and thrive.

I believe connection is the catalyst to healing. I also believe we as humans are hardwired to heal. Sometimes we simply need a compassionate witness to guide us back to ourselves and help us find a meaningful path forward. My hope is that our work together will honor the uniqueness of your story and empower you to rediscover the goodness you already possess.

I am a Licensed Professional Counselor with a PhD in Counselor Education & Supervision and am an ACS approved supervisor. I am the Assistant Dean of the School of Counseling at Richmont Graduate University. I am a CSAT and work extensively with sexual identity issues, sexual addiction issues, PTSD, and anxiety disorders. I specialize in working with men within the LGBTQ+ community, men in mixed orientation marriages, and men who experienced childhood sexual abuse.