Alexa Mellman, M.S.W.

About Alexa Mellman

Throughout the course of her career, Alexa recognized that with some clients, there would be a block in the healing process – certain thoughts and behaviors proved resistant to logic, willpower, and even repeated negative consequences. At the root of all these “stuck places” was trauma – whether it was a single major incident, unmet needs/abuse from childhood, or a series of repeated offenses to the psyche over the course of years. After much research, she completed intensive training in Somatic and Attachment-Focused EMDR, and loved it so much, she followed it with a year of post-training consultation, and even got her own EMDR therapist! EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is an evidence-based treatment that helps people get “unstuck” by addressing the neurobiological component of trauma in addition to the emotional, mental, and spiritual elements. The somatic and attachment focus addresses how we trauma affects our bodies (somatic) and how it informed or impacted our way of connecting with others (attachment).

From that specialized training, she also learned two of the most important philosophies that inform her work. The first is a principle of nonviolence. When we try to force our will and beliefs on another person, we commit violence against them. Alexa believes that each person has the right to decide what their ideal life looks like, and which paths are acceptable to achieving them. The second is the idea of The Answer. Instead of looking at our unwanted behaviors/feelings/thoughts as symptoms that need to be overcome or cured, Alexa believes that all our patterns of being – even those that cause us harm – were all once useful in feeling loved, safe, and/or in control. By then exploring what skills we did not use, we get to celebrate and keep the ones we have while adding new options, leaving clients feeling validated and empowered.

She has also worked with Summit’s DBT consultation team and co-lead DBT groups for four years, and incorporates the mindfulness, emotional regulation, and crisis management skills emphasized there.

When not immersed in trauma work, she loves spending time goofing off and belly-laughing with her husband and twin sons. After a lifetime on the road, she is enjoying putting down roots and creating a home where there is always music playing, food cooking, and a door open to friends and family. A true introvert, she can usually be found in a pile of pillows and blankets with a book, tinkering in her art studio, or chasing new interests online. She can usually be bribed to leave her haven for amusement parks, anything involving water, theater, and dinner and coffee with friends. She is also a massive pug lover, and four-time foster failure of the little sniffle balls.