Suddenly the sensory overwhelm has nowhere to hide. The executive function gaps that used to be manageable are now the difference between a functional day and a complete shutdown. The emotional regulation you worked so hard to fake is running on empty. And the patience you barely had for yourself? There's none left.
If you're a mom who recently got diagnosed, or who suspects you might be neurodivergent, or who has known for years but never found a therapist who actually understood what that means.
You've always done it differently. Felt things more intensely.
And then you had kids.
Burned out faster than everyone around you seemed to. Taken things harder than you thought you should.
What working together looks like
We'll look at what's actually happening: the patterns, the triggers, the history, the ways your nervous system has been adapting since long before you had language for any of it. I use ACT, IFS, and CBT, and I'm trained to work with the deeper relational and emotional material that often sits underneath the symptoms, including the attachment patterns and childhood experiences that shaped how you learned to cope.
If you've had therapy before that felt surface-level, or that treated your neurodivergence as something to manage rather than something to understand, this will be different.
Available in-person in Chanhassen and via telehealth across 40-plus states.
Therapy with me is individualized, which for neurodivergent clients specifically means I'm not going to hand you a list of strategies and send you on your way.
You're a mom and the demands of parenting have pushed your nervous system past its limits.
You're so burnt out from performing neurotypicality that you don't know who you are without the mask.
You've always suspected you might be ADHD, autistic, or AuDHD but never got a formal answer.
You got diagnosed as an adult and you're still processing what that means.
This might be right for you if
You recognize yourself in any of these:
You struggle with emotional regulation and the shame that comes after.
You feel other people's moods and reactions in your body before you've even processed them.
Why work with me specifically
Between the intersection with motherhood, identity, and the specific emotional experiences like RSD that don't always show up in traditional ADHD or autism frameworks.
I'm a PsyD-level psychologist with 10-plus years of post-licensure experience. I work with the full picture: not just the symptoms in isolation, but the relational history, the childhood experiences, and the identity questions that come with figuring out who you are when the scaffolding of masking starts to come down.
If you're also wondering whether a formal assessment might be useful, I offer those too.
A lot of therapists say they're affirming. Fewer actually understand the clinical picture of what late-diagnosed and self-realized neurodivergent adults are navigating.
"Melissa is a perfect combination of being warm, relational, and scientifically grounded in her approach to perinatal mental health. She understands the pressure put on women and moms to be perfect and selfless. She knows how to support women in challenging these expectations and learning how to also take care of ourselves. She’s an incredible person and therapist, especially for neurodivergent moms looking for therapy."
- Jenna Brownfield
