Lisa McNelley

How I found my path

I did not come to this work from the outside. I lived it: the complexity of blended family life, the pain of watching a child struggle and not knowing how to reach them, the exhaustion of trying to hold everything together across two households. I will never forget how alone I felt.

It's a big part of why I became a therapist. I wanted someone who understood not just the clinical picture, but the lived reality of what families like mine were going through. The guilt. The grief. The love that doesn't waver even when everything else does.

Prior to becoming a therapist, I worked for three decades in the technology and non-profit sectors. I have an appreciation for the demands and challenges of my clients whose lives revolve around the ever-changing dynamics and needs of work. In particular, the interplay of work, identity, financial demands, self-care, and relationships. Fold in the inevitable changes that come with time (and age), and it can start to feel like the ground is shifting. Therapy can be particularly helpful in finding grounding and direction for what lies ahead.

How I work

Every client who walks through my door or shows up on a screen brings a unique history and way of making sense of the world. There is no single approach that works for everyone. I don't believe in one-size-fits-all therapy.

My work is grounded in four approaches, woven together depending on what you need:

Relational & Person-Centered

The relationship is the foundation of everything. You are not a diagnosis or a set of symptoms. You are a whole person and the expert on your own life. My responsibility is to create a space where you feel genuinely seen, heard, and met without judgment.

Family Systems

None of us exist in isolation. The patterns, roles, and dynamics we grew up with have a way of following us into our relationships, parenting, and our sense of self. Family systems work helps you see those patterns clearly, understand where they came from, and begin to heal them.

IFS, Internal Family Systems

We all have different parts: one that worries, one that shuts down, one that pushes everyone away to stay safe. IFS gets curious about those parts, to understand what each part is trying to do for us so we can begin to heal from the inside out.

CBT, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Sometimes we need practical tools. CBT helps identify the thought patterns and beliefs that keep us stuck and gives concrete ways to begin shifting them. Its evidence based, collaborative, and grounded in real life.