Melinda Grady Padolik, MSW, LISW-S
Licensed Independent Social Worker
Pronouns: she, her, hers
[email protected], (626) 885-0745
[email protected], (626) 885-0745
SERVICES
For almost 30 years I have been providing psychotherapy services to individuals, couples, families, and groups of all ages. I specialize in twice exceptional, Autism Spectrum, ADHD, anxiety, grief and loss, OCD, trauma, life changes, depression, LGBTQ, relationships, communication, and many other issues. I also provide consultation and training services on a variety of topics such as: Twice Exceptional, Autism Spectrum , ADHD, and various other mental health issues. ABOUT
I have always had a strong passion for helping people in creative and unique ways. Coming from a background in fine arts, I continue to be fascinated by the way people express themselves and communicate through so many different art forms. This has led me to use creative therapy strategies in my practice. I graduated from the University of Cincinnati in 1992 with my graduate degree in Clinical Social Work. Throughout my career, I have worked in multiple settings such as hospitals, schools, homes, social service agencies, Universities, and private practice. The first 10 years of my career I held multiple positions such as: School based therapist in special education classrooms, Lead Therapist of a partial hospitalization program, Group Coordinator, Case Management and Clinical supervisor, and Adjunct Professor for a graduate Social Work program. In 2000, I began my own private practice under Melinda G. Bauer, MSW, LISW-S, LLC and have been doing psychotherapy, consultation, training services ever since. I recently re-named my practice Exceptional Minds Counseling, LLC. I work collaboratively with several other independent practitioners who share the same ethics and passion. Although I currently work with a large percentage of clients who are gifted and on the Autism spectrum, I have experience, and continue to work with a large variety of mental health issues. Over my 30 years of practice I have been trained in multiple therapy modalities such as CBT, DBT, Mindfulness, Play therapy, Attachment Based, Positive Psychology, Family Systems, Person-Centered, Strength-based, Imago Relationship, and others. I believe it is most important to start where the client is at, respecting every person as a unique individual and not just a diagnosis to be treated. Building a therapeutic relationship of trust and safety is the foundation of treatment success. Recently, I have been more involved with helping increase awareness and knowledge about neurodiversity in schools, colleges, and the workplace. I provide consultation and small trainings in regards to this movement. PAYMENT
I am not in network with any insurance companies. I can, however, provide clients the appropriate paperwork they need to turn into their insurance if they wish to apply it toward their deductible or get reimbursement for out of network services. I also offer a sliding fee scale that is based on income and number of dependents. Young adults who can still be claimed as a dependent by their parents are assessed by parents income.
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