Melissa Costello
Couples Therapy Intern | M.S.W. Candidate (Expected 2027)
She/Her/Hers

To be human is to be in relation: to ourselves, to one another, and to the living world.

I’m an M.S.W. candidate at the Smith College School for Social Work. My work has woven through psychotherapy with incarcerated adults in a county jail, restorative groups for young people in under-resourced public schools, and mindfulness and meditation training for researchers at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard. What these experiences have taught me is that, more often than not, what we really need is to feel seen, understood, and a little less alone.

My practice is relational, psychodynamic, and somatically informed, with room for humor and creativity. I’m especially drawn to working with couples because our closest relationships have a way of revealing both our deepest wounds and our greatest capacity for healing. I’m interested in how the ways we’ve learned to survive shape the ways we love. I see conflict as a natural part of intimacy and believe it can become one of our greatest opportunities for connection, repair, and growth.

Services Offered: Melissa provides reduced-fee couples therapy for uninsured and low-income couples throughout Massachusetts who are seeking affordable, high-quality relationship therapy.

Ask me about: my latest recipe obsession, what I miss most about New Mexico, why I believe in abolition, or my dog’s latest mischief.

Ever since I was young: I’ve been happiest outside, making things with my hands, moved by music, grounded in movement, and drawn toward a more just and connected world.

Favorite Quote: “Either you do it like it’s a big weight on you, or you do it as part of the dance.” Ram Dass

Favorite kind of couples: Authentic + vulnerable + willing.

Advanced Training

Gottman Method Couples Therapy, Levels I & II
Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT-200)