Jennifer Melo Psy D. specializes in CPTSD, Dissociation, and Adult Survivors of Childhood Trauma and more
Many people come to therapy feeling like what they’re experiencing is complicated. Anxiety may be mixed with older wounds. Sadness can show up in ways that don’t always make sense at first. Sometimes the struggles people bring to therapy are connected to deeper patterns or experiences that have been developing over many years.
My approach uses trauma-informed psychodynamic therapy that focuses on helping people gently untangle those layers. Together, we look not only at what’s happening right now, but also at the experiences and patterns that may be shaping how you feel, how you relate to others, and how you understand yourself.
Before entering private practice, I trained in a range of settings including forensic facilities, inpatient units, and community mental health programs. Working in these environments exposed me to the many different ways trauma can affect people’s lives. It also shaped my approach to working with complex trauma, dissociation, and severe mental illness. These experiences taught me to look beyond surface symptoms and to understand how people adapt to very difficult circumstances in ways that once helped them survive.
I’m genuinely curious about each person’s story — not just the chapter that led you to seek therapy now, but the larger context of your life. Rather than assuming how things are “supposed” to look, I focus on understanding what your experiences have actually been like.
My personality and sense of humor are part of the therapy room as well. I believe meaningful therapy happens when people feel comfortable enough to be genuine, and authenticity is an important part of the work we do together.
I earned my undergraduate degree from Florida International University in Miami, Florida, and my doctorate in clinical psychology (Psy.D.) from Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, FL.
My doctoral internship was at Nassau University Medical Center in New York (a level one trauma hospital with forensic, inpatient, and outpatient treatment). My postdoctoral fellowship was completed with Therapy Group of DC, a well-established group practice where I was introduced to (and fell in love with) private practice.
For nearly a decade, I’ve worked with adults from a wide range of backgrounds and life experiences. My training has taken place across diverse settings, including research and clinical work with children, maximum-security jails, inpatient psychiatric hospitals, outpatient mental health clinics, and private practice. These experiences shaped how I understand the many ways people learn to cope, adapt, and survive—often in ways that make sense given what they’ve been through.
Throughout my graduate training, internship, and postdoctoral fellowship, I had the privilege of working with individuals who trusted me with deeply personal parts of their stories. Much of my work has focused on helping people untangle painful or complex past experiences so they can begin to live with greater clarity, intention, and self-understanding.
I am especially passionate about helping adults work through the lasting impact of childhood trauma and move toward a greater sense of stability, agency, and peace in their lives.
I’m also the daughter of two immigrant parents and grew up in Miami, FL where conversations around mental health were often kept quiet. That experience shaped my commitment to creating a space where people can speak openly and feel understood. I am a (mostly fluent) Spanish speaker and value being able to connect with clients across cultural experiences.
Outside of my clinical work, I enjoy spending time with my dogs, Jax and Millie, exploring new hiking trails, gardening, and writing. I also have a deep appreciation for books, art, and creative expression, which continue to be meaningful parts of my life.
