Melissa Daum, LMFT

My therapeutic work is deeply informed by psychoanalytic psychotherapy and its emphasis on not merely alleviating symptoms, but discovering the deeply rooted, often unconscious mechanisms at work that generate our patterns — patterns that have gotten us where we are today, yet also may prevent us from moving forward. By participating in talk therapy, we may discover that the way you’ve been telling your story, both to yourself and others, is only one version. We are interested in listening closely to your thoughts, habits, dreams, desires, avoidances, and symptoms, and together we may hear something else entirely. Therapy can be a space where you become curious about these stories too, the way they coexist and even conflict, allowing a more integrated experience to take hold. Change at this level can be profoundly long lasting and creatively fulfilling. I'm a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in the West Village. I earned my Masters of Arts in Counseling with an Emphasis in Depth Psychology from Pacifica Graduate Institute, a Jungian-oriented training program. Since 2018 I've been a Psychoanalytic Candidate at the National Psychological Association for Psychoanalysis (NPAP) in New York City. I also teach in NYU's Master of Arts in Counseling Program. ​My clinical work as a therapist at Monte Nido Manhattan, an eating disorder day treatment program, has given me specialized experience working eating issues and body image preoccupations. Sometimes people come to me when they're actively struggling with eating disorder behaviors, as well as those who are no longer symptomatic but would like to understand more about their history with these issues. I'm also interested in manifestations of appetite in a more general sense, and other conflicts around hunger, desire, and satisfaction. I have a special connection with artists, writers, and others in similar creative industries. I attended the Maryland Institute College of Art where I earned my BFA, and I later returned to teach undergraduate courses on psychopathology, dream analysis, and theories of inquiry. I frequently work with individuals dealing with creative blocks, resistance to starting their work, and the uncertainties that come with the creative process. **I also have sliding scale availability with my clinical interns