MELANIE EISNER has been a therapist supporting individuals with anxiety, depression, and addictions since 2007. Prior to launching her private practice in 2015, Melanie worked with adolescents and adults in outpatient hospital settings and community mental health clinics.

In 2003, Melanie earned her bachelor's degree in Psychology and Philosophy-Neuroscience-Psychology from Washington University in St. Louis. A native of Maryland, Melanie moved back to the D.C. area to work as a research assistant in sleep disorders at Children's National Medical Center. Her passion to understand how social factors impact individuals led Melanie to earn an MA in Cultural Psychology at the University of Chicago in 2006. For her thesis, she researched a community arts program, focusing on how mindfulness was used to facilitate creativity in Chicago youth. This experience impacted Melanie profoundly and initiated her path towards studying and practicing mindfulness. Working with Chicago youth also inspired Melanie to continue to work towards healing and change for individuals and communities, and in 2009, she earned her MA in Social Work from the University of Chicago. In this program, Melanie focused on learning therapeutic modalities including a trauma-sensitive perspective, psychodynamic therapy, and therapy based on mindfulness skills. Melanie completed a yoga teacher training program in 2012 at Flow Yoga Center in Washington, D.C. Continuing to build knowledge of Eastern modes of thought enhanced Melanie's understanding of the interconnectedness of the mind and body and how healing occurs.

In addition to her therapy work, Melanie has given talks on self-care for mental health and addiction professionals for such organization as Caron Treatment Centers and Carpenter's Shelter. In the Spring 2016 issue of Voices, the journal for the American Academy of Psychotherapists (AAP), Melanie published "Burning Sage", an article on her experiences working as a counselor at a Native American mental health clinic in California.