Kyung In Lee, MA, AMFT has openings for telehealth in California! She works with LGBTQIA+ young adults, AAPI queer and trans people, people experiencing life transitions, and adults looking to change long-standing relationship patterns.

Schedule a Free 15 Minute Call

 Schedule a Free 15 Minute Call

Meet Melissa

Melissa Jean Dellens, MA, LMFT, TRM-1

she/they

Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist # 143128

Schedule a Free 15 Minute Call

Available to other therapists for Individual and Group Clinical Consultation

Consultation with Melissa

Identities

  • Genderfull femme
  • Bisexual
  • Neurodivergent
  • Allistic
  • Ambiamorous
  • White
  • Christian

I work to help people reconnect with their ability to work, love, and play with more ease.

I offer a safe online collaborative space for teens and young adults seeking individual or couples/relationship therapy. I have an active imagination and a visual mind that can help you make more meaning of your own inner world.  I listen carefully to what lights you up, as well as the origins of your stress, exhaustion, and shame.  These explorations help you feel more engaged, empowered, and passionate about  life.

What is working with me like?

I take an affirmative approach to help clients with marginalized identities like yours explore internal and external stressors, resolve conflicts, and feel more connected to the here and now.

My community and clinical work leaves me especially attuned to working with

  • People impacted by relationship traumas
  • Autistic people seeking greater self determination and advocacy
  • LGBTQIAPK+ people experiencing minority stress
  • Caregivers experiencing compassion fatigue
  • Advocates engaged in long term anti-racism & systemic change efforts
  • Adults seeking support in important life transitions

By exploring memory and emotions, returning to painful experiences in a safer environment, and having someone who can track the patterns and structures in your life, you can begin to make changes that have left you feeling stuck and out of control.

In all my work, I pay attention to the present moment between us, and notice what pieces of the past are still alive and influential. This way of working allows the people I work with to gain a deeper understanding about how their pasts influence how they are interacting with others in the present. Becoming more aware of these processes helps young adults grow into the future with more confidence and interdependence.

My Clinical Training and Experience

 

My Community Experience

Current Continuing Education Library

Conferences, In Service Trainings, and Speaking Engagements:

  • May 2026:. Masking & Unmasking in Neurodiverse Affirmative Therapy. [Conference Session]. Virtual Continuing Education Conference. GAMHPA. Virtual.
  • April 2026: Autistic Affirmative Therapy. [ Case Conference]. Corner Canyon Health Care, Draper, UT.
  • March 2026: Gender Dysphoria & Complex Family Systems. Monthly Affiliate Society Meeting. [Case Presentation]. LAISPS, Los Angeles, CA
  • April 2025:  Neurodiverse Affirmative Therapy. [In-Service Presentation].  Airport Marina Counseling Services, Culver City, CA.
  • March 2025:  Neediness & Masculinity in the Countertransference. [Case Presentation].  LAISPS, Los Angeles, CA.
  • December 2024: Neurodiverse Affirmative Therapy. [In-Service Presentation].  Antioch Community Therapy Services, Culver City, CA.
  • June 2024:  Neurodiverse Affirmative Therapy. [In-Service Presentation].  Eliza Steele, Brooke Knack & Associates, Pasadena, CA.
  • April 2024:  Traumatic Response to the Past Alive in the Present. [Case Presentation].  LAISPS, Los Angeles, CA.
  • April 2024:  Neurodiverse Affirmative Therapy. [In-Service Presentation].  Open Paths Counseling Center, Culver City, CA.
  • April 2023: Neurodiverse Affirmative Therapy. [In-Service Presentation].  Open Paths Counseling Center, Culver City, CA
  • January 2023:  Working Affirmatively with LGBTQIA+ Teens. [In-Service Presentation]. Child, Adolescent, and Family Program, Maple Counseling Center, Beverly Hills, CA
  • August 2022:  PSY 5930FF LGBT Clinical and Psychological Wellness Across the Lifespan: Adolescent Development. [Guest Lecturer]. M.A. Psychology Program Antioch University Los Angeles. Culver City, CA.
  • July 2021: Neurodiverse Affirmative Therapy. [In-Service Presentation]. Airport Marina Counseling Services LGBTQIA+ Affirmative Therapy Center. Marina Del Rey, CA.
  • June 2020:  Parallel process, transference, and countertransference related to the COVID-19 Pandemic. Valley Community Counseling Clinic .Weekly Case Conference. [Case Presentation]. North Hollywood, CA.
  • December 2019:  Inclusion in every neighborhood: Community facilitation differences in urban, suburban and rural  communities. [Conference Session]. TASH Annual Conference. Portland, OR.
  • May 2015: . Safety Considerations in Disability Inclusive Camping. [Conference Session]. Spring Leadership Conference. American Camp Association. Irvine, CA.

The Affirmative Couch Continuing Education Courses (2021-2025)

  • September 2025: Fundamentals of Bisexual Affirmative Therapy (1.5 CEs)
  • February 2025: Helping LGBTQIA+ Youth Navigate Online Risks to make the Digital World Safer (2 CEs)
  • December 2024: Advocacy Efforts for Affirmative Therapists; co presented with Cadyn Cathers, PsyD, MBA (1 CE)
  • October 2024: Refusing Adulthood: Working with LGBTQIA+ Youth (2 CEs)
  • August 2024: Sociopolitical Stress & Politicized Identities (3 CEs)
  • February 2024: Asexual Affirmative Therapy (2 CEs)
  • October 2023: Working with Parents of Transgender Youth (3 CEs)
  • August 2023: WPATH Standards of Care 8 – Mental Health & Adolescents (2 CEs)
  • February 2023: Psychodynamic Therapy with Trangender & Nonbinary Teenagers (3 CEs)
  • May 2022: Autism Affirmative Therapy for Allistic Providers (3 CEs)
  • April 2022: Spiritual Resilience with Christian LGBT Clients (3 CEs)
  • September 2021: Power Dynamics in the Facilitating Environment (6 CEs)

Academic & Teaching Experience

Valley Community Counseling Clinic, Volunteer Clinical Supervisor

  • California State University, Fullerton Clinical Training

Antioch University Los Angeles, Adjunct Faculty

  • 2022-2024: PSY 5310A – Personality Theory 1: Psychodynamic Theories
  • 2023: PSY 5510B – Group Treatment Methods (2023)

Alliant International University, LA Adjunct Faculty

  • Summer 2022: PSY 7312- Sex Therapy

 

 

My Publications

Dellens, M. (2026). Understanding Autistic Masking. Out Couch Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy. Retrieved from: https://outcouch.com/understanding-autistic-masking/

Dellens, M. (2025). The Long History & Current Challenges of Diversity Programs. [Unpublished Manuscript]. The Affirmative Couch.

Dellens, M. (2024). Autistic Affirmative. Therapy. GAMHPA Quarterly Newsletter.

Dellens, M. (2021). 4 ways affirmative therapists can support transgender teens. [Unpublished Manuscript]. The Affirmative Couch.

Dellens, M. (2021). Making the most of your clinic’s power. [Unpublished Manuscript]. The Affirmative Couch.

Dellens, M. (2021). Defining Power for Affirmative Therapists. [Unpublished Manuscript]. The Affirmative Couch.

Dellens, M. (2021). Four Barriers to Affirmative Clinic Change. [Unpublished Manuscript]. The Affirmative Couch.

Morgan, K., Herbert, S., Dellens, M., Yang, C., Barr, T., Page, K., Finn, D., &Richards, J. (2020). A Community Narration Assessment of Master’s Level Psychology Students at Antioch University Los Angeles. Global Journal of Community Psychology Practice, 11(3), 1 – 13. Retrieved from (http://www.gjcpp.org/) 


 

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Available for Telehealth Therapy in California

Schedule a Free 15 Minute Call

Available for therapists for Individual and Group Clinical Consultation

Consultation with Melissa