Melanie Sullivan is a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker and the founder of Pacemaker Counseling. For more than a decade, she has dedicated her career to supporting children, adolescents, and adults across a variety of settings.

Melanie earned her Bachelor’s degree in Social Work from Providence College and her Master’s in Social Work from Simmons University. Her career journey has included roles in child protective services, early education, and the public school system, where she provided care and guidance to children, families, and educators. In 2023, she began working as a mental health therapist, and it was through this deeper, more personal work that she felt inspired to create a space where more people could access meaningful support.

The name Pacemaker Counseling is deeply personal, inspired by Melanie’s own journey of living with a pacemaker since childhood. Just as a pacemaker restores steadiness to the heartbeat, her mission is to help individuals restore balance in their lives by identifying the roots of distress and drawing on their inner strength to heal, grow, and find fulfillment—at their own pace.

Melanie takes a client-centered, collaborative approach to therapy, creating a safe and supportive space where each client’s goals and experiences shape the process. She integrates psychodynamic therapy to explore how past experiences influence present patterns, while also drawing from evidence-based practices such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) to build practical tools for managing thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. Through this integrative approach, Melanie partners with clients to foster insight, healing, and meaningful growth at a pace that feels right for them.