Melissa Shumacher LGMFT
Neuro Affirming Teen Therapist, Adult Therapist, Workplace Support Specialist
This page is about my work with teens and adults. For more information about my work with couples and families, click here.
This stage of life is a lot.
Your day can feel exhausting before it even begins. Emails pile up before your coffee is finished. Your mind is already juggling work or school deadlines, family responsibilities, and the conversations you meant to have but never quite get to.
By the end of the day, you’re drained. You know it feels too hard. But why?
You start to wonder if you’re neurodivergent. Or if the neurocomplexity you already know about is getting in the way.
Work. Responsibilities. The constant pressure to keep everything running smoothly. To do something important with your life.
Melissa Shumacher
Neuro-Affirming Therapist for Couples, Families, Kids, Teens, and Adults
And somewhere in the middle of all of it, the people you love the most start to feel far away. You and your friends or partner used to laugh more. Conversations used to come easily. Now you’re tired, stretched thin, and trying to keep up with everything life demands. The little frustrations build. The same arguments repeat. Sometimes it feels like you’re managing life side-by-side instead of truly being together.
Or maybe you’re navigating this stage on your own and wondering why it feels so much harder than anyone prepared you for. Careers, relationships, family expectations, and big life decisions can leave you feeling overwhelmed, uncertain, or stuck.
You know something needs to change. You just don’t know where (or how) to start.
That’s where therapy comes in.
My office is a place to slow down, make sense of what’s happening, and begin reconnecting with yourself and with the people who matter most. I work with couples who want to strengthen their relationship, adults navigating major life transitions, and parents who are balancing the pressures of work and family.
We’ll start with your hopes—what you want your relationships, your work, and your life to feel like—and the challenges that are getting in the way. Together, we’ll build practical strategies while also exploring the deeper patterns that shape how you communicate, connect, and cope.
Using approaches like Emotionally Focused Therapy and Narrative Therapy, we’ll work to strengthen the bonds that support healthy relationships and help you better understand yourself and each other. You’ll feel heard, supported, and better equipped to navigate stress, conflict, and change.
Over time, things begin to shift.
Conversations feel easier. You approach challenges with more confidence. The tension that once filled the room starts to ease.
Life will still be busy. Work will still demand your attention. Families and relationships will still have their challenges.
But you won’t feel like you’re carrying it all alone.
And that can make all the difference.
When you’re ready, I’m here.
Education and Training
M.S., Marriage and Family Therapy, Northwestern University
M.B.A., University of Chicago Booth School of Business
BA, Psychology, Northwestern University
Adjunct Instructor of Interpersonal Dynamics, University of Chicago
Melissa’s Specialties
Adult Therapy to help with navigating stress at work and at home.
Structural Family Therapy and Narrative Therapy, to support collaborative problem solving in families.
Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy to strengthen bonds and mutual understanding between partners.
Play Therapy for children, to help them navigate big feelings and build confidence in who they are.
Therapy for parents who’d like to rediscover a sense of competence in an ever-changing world, and pass it on to their children.
Therapy for teens, to explore questions of identity and develop a strong sense of self during the teen and tween years.
Fun Facts About Melissa
I’m a self proclaimed matcha aficionado
I’m a proud cat parent to Jinx and Jasper
I’m a curator of vintage furniture
I studied Clinical Psychology in Denmark