Melissa Jean-Charles (she/her)

LICSW
Accepting Clients

BiPOC Group Practice specializing in LGBTQ+ and Communities of Color.

Clinical Social Worker in Marblehead, MA

Services
  • Individual
  • Couples
  • Family
  • Child
  • Adolescent/Teen
  • Group

About My Clients

We specialize in working with LGBTQ+ women, including nonbinary individuals and transgender people of color, as well as immigrant and first-generation Caribbean communities. My areas of focus include trauma and racial trauma, depression, anxiety, ADHD, and career-related concerns, with an emphasis on culturally affirming care for communities of color.I see therapy as both a journey and an honor--one where I get to walk alongside you while recognizing that you are the expert on your own life.

My Background and Approach

Our practice is made up of women of color of Caribbean descent. The approach to therapy is relational and flexible: there’s no one-size-fits-all. We meet you where you are and shape our work around what you need in the moment. While we may have goals, I’m not overly structured because life happens. Some days we may focus on work stress, family conflict, or just how heavy the world feels. Above all, the relationship matters. If you don’t feel comfortable or connected in the space with me, the work won’t work, and that honesty is part of the process. My work experience includes supporting survivors of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault, working with the LGBTQ+ community, and providing therapy to couples of all identities, including heterosexual, queer, gay, and lesbian couples. I most often work with college-age cisgender, nonbinary, queer, and transgender women of color, while holding an affirming, inclusive space for all.

My Personal Beliefs and Interests

I have been a non-conformist for as long as I can remember. From a young age, I questioned systems that told me who I was supposed to be, how I was supposed to move, and how much space I was allowed to take. Those early experiences shaped not only my values, but my purpose. Roots & Wings Counseling Associates was born from a deep desire to create the space I once needed but could not find. As a Black woman, I have experienced being othered, dismissed, mistreated, and subjected to blatant racism --experiences that impacted my own mental health and sense of safety. I know what it feels like to seek support and be met with platitudes, minimization, or clinicians who simply “didn’t get it.” I wanted something different. I wanted care that was honest, culturally responsive, and grounded in lived experience --not explanations, not excuses, and certainly not bullshit. At RWCA, we center People of Color and the LGBTQ+ community because we share a collective understanding.

Techniques I Use

Specialties
Culturally Sensitive Therapy Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) Narrative Therapy
Other Techniques
  • Art Therapy
  • Coaching
  • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
  • Contemplative Therapy
  • Couples Counseling
  • Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT)
  • Interpersonal Therapy (IPT)
  • Internal Family Systems
  • Trauma Therapy

Issues I Treat

Specialties
Anxiety Depression LGBTQ-Friendly Therapists
Other Issues
  • Abuse
  • ADHD Therapists
  • Anxiety
  • Bipolar
  • Body Image Issues
  • Burnout
  • Career Counseling
  • Depression
  • Divorce
  • Domestic Violence or Intimate Partner Violence
  • Gender Identity Therapy
  • Grief or Loss
  • Historical/ Intergenerational Trauma
  • Immigration/Acculturation
  • LGBTQ-Friendly Therapists
  • Marriage Counseling
  • Men's Issues
  • Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
  • Parenting
  • Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
  • Racial Identity
  • Sexual Problems
  • Spirituality
  • Suicidal Thoughts
  • Systemic Oppression Therapy
  • Women's Issues
Insurance Plans Accepted
  • Aetna
  • Harvard Pilgrim Health
  • Tufts
  • AllWays Health Partners
  • Blue Cross blue Shield of Massachusetts
  • UHC/Optum
I have experience with the following
  • Christianity

At A Glance

  • Experience: 18 years of practice
  • Rate: $185 - 230/session

Info

Email Melissa
17 Hawkes Street
Office 2
Marblehead, MA 01945
One Arnold Circle
6
Cambridge, MA 02139

Reach out to Melissa