About Us

Out Couch Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy was founded by Dr. Cadyn in 2021 as a private practice, and Melissa joined in 2023 to support the transition into a group practice.  Dr. Cadyn and Melissa are ambitious about creating a training space where LGBTQIA+, CNM/ENM, and kink affirming pre-licensed therapists can learn to incorporate psychoanalytic theory into their work. This vision has come out of years of training, and education, but is at its core, a personal journey.  

When Melissa & Dr. Cadyn met, both had been actively involved in working toward marriage equality and transgender rights.  Melissa was also managing a community inclusion program for Autistic people, and people with Autism. Dr. Cadyn was faculty and interim director of the LGBT Specialization at Antioch University Los Angeles.  The two made a strong team in bringing together their program management, educational, and advocacy experiences.  

Through personal exploration and professional development, Dr. Cadyn and Melissa work as a team to bring their values and passions into psychoanalytic LGBTQIA+ mental health care. Beyond their clinical work, they also run The Affirmative Couch together to provide continuing education to other therapists looking to deepen their work with gender-, sexuality-, and relationship-expansive clients. Dr. Cadyn and Melissa believe that transformation happens when we work from the inside out, one person at a time. Out Couch Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy offers individual therapy to LGBTQIA+, CNM/ENM, and kinky people, while offering supervision and consultation to clinicians looking to deepen their affirmative practice.  

For Ourselves

We commit to the practice of affirmative psychoanalytic psychotherapy and the attention to detail of running an ethical and sustainable business. 

For Our Patients

We are dedicated to delivering consistent, high-quality care centered on the needs and identities of every individual patient we serve. 

For Our Communities

We invest in long-term health with integrity, and hold the commitments we make to  others as a priority. 

For Ourselves

We nurture a mindset of lifelong learning, embracing new ideas and seeking to grow both personally and professionally.

For Our Patients

We seek to understand the unique needs of every community we serve, and curious about how to deepen and contribute to affirmative psychoanalytic psychotherapy’s body of work.

For Our Communities

We seek to understand the unique needs of every community we serve, and curious about how to deepen and contribute to affirmative psychoanalytic psychotherapy’s body of work.  

For Ourselves

We challenge biases and discrimination internally and externally, speak up for what’s right, and take bold steps toward progress—even when it’s hard.

For Our Patients

We remain aware of systemic barriers to care, and advocate fearlessly for our patients’ needs and access to community.

For Our Communities

We work from our values and commitment to identity affirmation regardless of current or popular trends in the field of mental health and greater cultural context. 

 For Ourselves

We prioritize our well-being, self-care, and collective care by supporting each other with empathy, kindness, and respect.

For Our Patients

We listen deeply with all our senses, act compassionately, and treat every patient with dignity and respect.

For Our Communities

We center compassion and care in the face of cultural conflicts related to the equity and wellbeing of LGBTQIA+ people, and challenge internal and biases of others without shame or criticism.

For Ourselves

We value teamwork and open dialogue and reach out for support and consultation when needed.  We know this work should never be done alone!

For Our Patients

We partner with patients, families, and interdisciplinary teams when necessary to support sustainable and long-term relationships.

For Our Communities

We are a leader the field of affirmative psychoanalytic psychotherapy and are a resource to other mental health clinicians for education and consultation. Our training program seeks to develop the next generation of affirmative psychoanalytic psychotherapists.