Hello there!

My name is Melanie (pronouns she/ her).

I am a somatic psychotherapist and coach. I am also a creative, a sister, partner, mother, aunty, and friend. I identify as an adult third-culture kid (TCK), cross-cultural kid, US-born dual-citizen, a daughter of Singaporean and Thai parents, both of Chinese descent, and was raised and grew up in an international community in Northern Thailand. I then migrated to the rainy city of Seattle in the Pacific Northwest US as a young adult. There I studied counseling psychology and started my therapy practice. I’ve been working with individuals in private practice since 2017.

I have recently returned to my fatherland of Thailand where I make home with my family by the sea. I feel most at home when I am frolicking crowded night markets or when I am in transit at an airport. As someone who has lived in the hyphen, I know the heartache of belonging everywhere and no where at once. My hope for you is that you can be fiercely kind to yourself as you move towards a rooted sense of located-ness and connection.

I am committed to my own continued growing and healing, decolonizing therapy, acknowledging my own privileged intersections of my identity, and nurturing collective care and community. I currently practice in community with Mosaic Counseling Collective.

Again, welcome. I look forward to meeting you.

Specialties & Focus

Identity & Belonging

Life transitions

Adult Third Culture Kid (TCK)/ Cross Cultural Kid (CCK) experience & trauma

Relational issues/ Family of Origin

Burnout & Stress

Anxiety & Depression

Secondary trauma

Intergenerational trauma

Approach

Somatic: our bodies are storytellers that remember both what we have experienced and what we have inherited. Here we tend to this by acknowledging and getting to know how our brilliant nervous system works to protect us and have us survive the immense experience of what it means to be human.

Systemic/ Intersectional/ Social Justice oriented: our stories are shaped by larger systems including family, race and culture, gender and sexuality, religion and spirituality. The intersection of these categories impact how we show up to ourselves and in the world. In our work we may explore how systems of oppression (such as racism or sexism, etc.) disconnect us from ourselves, our collective, and the earth.

Relational/ Collaborative: my role is to be curious and reflective, a fellow wanderer and companion for the journey. I will not give you the answers but tenderly invite you to your own wisdom and intuition. Additionally, acknowledging that healing and liberation also does not just happen in isolation and individually, I invite you to connect to resources in the collective outside of our time together.

Trauma and attachment informed: Difficult experiences, our early relationships, as well as trauma from previous generations fragment us. When we understand and care for the trauma and stress, we develop healthy attachment, increase emotional regulation and nurture resilience in ourselves and communities.

Framework

I offer sessions in English to adult individuals over 18 years old.

For those located in US, I can offer mental health counseling for those reside in Washington State. Please see the FAQs for more information.

I can provide somatic coaching anywhere you are located in the world, regardless of state or province.

I offer support to folks navigating a wide range of concerns but I am especially passionate in focus on supporting individuals who identify as Adult Third Culture Kids (ATCKs), immigrants, expats, global souls, digital nomads, activists, caretakers, humanitarian aid workers, missionaries, and BIPOC.

I see clients online via a secure telehealth platform.

Education & Training

Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) within the state of Washington, USA.

  • Education

    • Masters of Counseling Psychology, The Seattle School of Theology and Psychology

    • Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, Seattle Pacific University

  • Advanced Clinical Training

“I long, as does every human being, to be at home wherever I find myself.”

-Maya Angelou