Deirdre Malinske, MS, MHC-LP : Individual and Relationship/Couples Therapist

Hi, I’m Deirdre. I’m a therapist because other people have helped me to find safety, strength, and joy, and I want to help you find that too. I have cultivated (and continue to cultivate) a practice that is trauma-informed, identity-affirming, and centered around my clients’ lived experiences. My specialties include working with people who are queer, trans, neurodivergent, poly, disabled and/or chronically ill, and people who have experienced systemic trauma or trauma from specific relationships.

My lived experience is that of a nonbinary, queer, white, AuDHD, person with chronic health conditions. Those things inform how I show up to our work, as do all of the experiences I’ve had in my life. I have learned through education from others and through my own experiences how what has (and hasn’t) happened to us, those who came before us, and the people around us impacts us in deep and interconnected ways. I bring this understanding to my work with clients by naming it when it’s in the room, and finding ways that feel safe and important to honor, process, and move forward. I have found that “zooming out” to name the systems we are impacted by gives our work together vital perspective.

Here’s a bit about how you can expect me to act in a session: I’ll come to our work together with a sense of curiosity, and will ask you about your own ways of thinking, feeling, and doing. I’m gentle but direct; often I will tell you “here’s what I’m seeing – what do you think?” I bring my own expertise, and welcome yours too. I’ll pull back the curtain and tell you what it seems like the path forward could look like for the work you want to do, and ask you to brainstorm with me about whether that is what you want, and how best to go about it for you in particular. I’ll sometimes ask you to slow down to give yourself some time to process things you might be inclined to speed past, challenge you to think about things in a different way, and offer coping skills that I’ve learned which seem applicable for your needs.

If you are interested or curious about working together, I’d love to connect with you. You can do so via the practice I work for, Live Your Truth Counseling, or by sending me an email.