Meet Our Team

Annie Melden, LMHC (she/her)

Licensed Mental Health Counselor
Accepting New Clients

Groups Served: Young adults, adults & older adults
Services: Individual therapy
Availability: In-person and telehealth sessions
Insurance: Aetna, BCBS/Anthem, Harvard Pilgrim Health Plan, Mass General Brigham Health Plan (commercial plans only), Medicare, Optum, Tufts Health Plan (commercial plans only), United Healthplan
Top Specialties: Anxiety, Depression, Chronic illness/medical issues, Women’s issues & Dysfunctional family of origin
Other Issues: Body image issues, Gender identity, Social anxiety, Spirituality issues, Trauma &Young adult issues.

I’m a Licensed Mental Health Counselor who works with women, men, and queer-identifying/gender non-conforming adults who have challenges with depression and anxiety, have experienced trauma and hardship, and are questioning religious, cultural, or gender expectations. My clients often have a desire to explore the meaning of their lives through understanding their past and how it informs their present experience. My goal is to help you explore feelings of fear around what the future holds, and to help you gain insight into unconscious patterns in your relationships and your life.

My Approach to Therapy

I bring warmth, humility, openness, and curiosity to sessions. As a therapist, I can:

  • Honor each individual’s needs and inner wisdom

  • Provide a collaborative, non-judgmental space for healing and growth

  • Support clients in exploring their past experiences

  • Support clients in exploring the meaning of their lives

I enjoy providing a safe client-therapist relationship that allows space for healing and growth over time. The most rewarding thing about being a therapist is celebrating clients’ accomplishments and seeing clients move toward their more authentic selves.

Sessions with me will provide you with the space to feel and express your emotions, allowing you insight into your emotional life outside of the therapy room. It’s important for me to honor your inner wisdom and ensure that the therapeutic process is collaborative.

At Essential Insights Counseling Center, there isn’t a “one size fits all” approach to therapy.

My approach to treatment includes elements of mindfulness, psychodynamic therapy, feminist-relational theories, existential philosophy, and Internal Family Systems/Hakomi method approaches.

“If you can observe your own experience with a minimum of interference, and if you don't try to control what you experience, if you simply allow things to happen and you observe them, then you will be able to discover things about yourself that you did not know before. You can discover little pieces of the inner structures of your mind, the very things that make you who you are.”

― Ron Kurtz, Founder of the Hakomi Method

As a Therapist, I Embrace the Following Philosophies:

  • I believe that our past informs our present; healing is possible through insight into our past experiences

  • I believe that the therapeutic relationship is the most important part of therapy

  • We can start healing when we tell our story to someone who can hear it with empathy and understanding

My Professional Background

I received my Masters in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Lesley University in 2023. During my Masters program, I provided ongoing, weekly psychotherapy to college students at two internship placements: MassBay Community College and Rivier University. I worked with student populations that varied in age, languages spoken, immigration stories, life experiences, and mental health diagnoses. In my post-masters work, I served children and families in an outpatient farm-based setting. In my work thus far, I have supported clients and families in coping with complex trauma, religious and cultural issues, anxiety and depression, and exploration of gender identity. I have experience working with clients in person and via telehealth. My work with adults and families helped me understand more clearly the loneliness epidemic facing so many Americans, and the ways that technology both separates us and brings us together.

I am currently pursuing training in Existential-Psychoanalytic Therapy and I receive ongoing training and supervision from Dr. Jared Kass who worked closely with Dr. Carl Rogers on the Person-Centered Approach Project. I have received training in the Hakomi Method as well as suicide assessment and intervention methods.

Are you ready to make a change? Get started with therapy today.

Start exploring and understanding your experience, finding meaning in your life, and making authentic choices. Reach out and let us know if you think my approach is a good fit for you.

Schedule a free 15-minute phone consultation with our intake coordinator in our online scheduler. During your initial call, you can share what’s going on for you and ask us any questions you may have. Through understanding your needs, we will help you choose the best therapist for you, answer any questions you might have, and schedule your first session.