Couples & Family Counseling in Murfreesboro, TN

Melissa Gallagher is a clinical mental health therapist who provides compassionate, trauma-informed care for adults, teens, and families across Tennessee. She is dedicated to creating a safe, supportive space where individuals feel understood, empowered, and capable of meaningful change. As a mother of six, Melissa understands the realities of family life—the challenges, the love, and the resilience. She has experience working with children and adolescents in both urban elementary and rural communities, giving her a broad understanding of many family dynamics. Melissa also works with adults through a wide range of mental health concerns, especially grief, loss, and trauma. Melissa approaches therapy through a trauma-informed, brain-based lens. She believes that every person’s thoughts, emotions, and behaviors make sense in the context of their experiences, relationships, and environment. Having worked through her own experiences with trauma in therapy, she brings both professional expertise and deep empathy to the individuals and families she supports. She is trained in EMDR and Grief Component Therapy for Adolescents and integrates evidence-based and brain-based approaches into her work.

Mitchel Pendergast, MA is a clinical mental health therapist providing compassionate, client-centered therapy for adolescents and adults across Tennessee. He offers a grounded, supportive space where clients can slow down, reconnect with themselves, and find steadiness during seasons of stress, change, or emotional overwhelm. Mitchel works with individuals navigating anxiety, depression, trauma, family-of-origin concerns, identity exploration, life transitions, and challenges with emotional regulation. He believes therapy can help clients approach fear, shame, and self-doubt with curiosity and compassion, while strengthening resilience and self-understanding. His therapeutic approach is collaborative, approachable, and deeply human. Mitchel strives to create an environment where clients feel safe showing up as they are and supported in moving toward greater clarity, self-compassion, and freedom in how they live and relate to others. Mitchel’s work is grounded in Internal Family Systems (IFS), mindfulness-based therapy, somatic and experiential approaches. He also integrates DBT and CBT skills to support emotional regulation, distress tolerance, and practical coping strategies for everyday life. His style emphasizes presence, curiosity, and honoring each client’s unique internal experience. Mitchel provides therapy services to adolescents and adults throughout Tennessee and is committed to helping clients build insight, balance, and meaningful change.

Derrell Seigler is a licensed professional counselor with more than five years of experience helping individuals and families work through life's complexities. He has served as a clinical director and lead therapist, and he created and directed a court diversion program. That background gives him a steady, practical understanding of people facing high-stakes moments. Derrell works with clients navigating trauma, substance use, borderline personality disorder, bipolar disorder, and other complex diagnoses. He has specialized experience supporting survivors of domestic violence and human trafficking. He believes every person's journey is different, and he works to create a safe space with room for each client to grow at their own pace. His approach is adaptable and grounded in evidence-based care. He is certified in EMDR and Brainspotting and trained in DBT, CBT, REBT, solution-focused therapy, and Narrative Exposure Therapy. He tailors each session to what the client in front of him actually needs. Clients often appreciate his dry sense of humor, which helps bring perspective and relatability to hard conversations. Through virtual therapy sessions at Sit With Me Behavioral Health, Derrell provides accessible care to clients across Tennessee. Outside of sessions, he enjoys reading, exploring his "nerdy" hobbies, continuing to study new clinical approaches, and spending time with his wife. Derrell offers in-person sessions at our Murfreesboro office and virtual therapy for clients throughout Tennessee.

Many struggle with life issues, however when issues arise that are very difficult to resolve, the insight of a compassionate and objective professional can be very beneficial. The issues that arise in life are as varied as the individuals experiencing them causing one to feel overwhelmed, unhappy and dissatisfied. It is my hope that you will pursue the peace and purpose in life that you deserve. I provide support, problem-solving skills, and enhanced coping strategies for issues such as depression, anxiety, relationship troubles, unresolved childhood issues, grief, stress management, body image issues and creative blocks. I’m proud to be a Nashville native with a deep love of travel. I graduated in 1998 with her B.S. In Psychology and worked as a counselor in a hospital setting and for the State of Tennessee. I Graduated in 2021 with a M.S. In Counseling Psychology and has been in private practice since. Certifications include Certified Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy and Certified Solution Focus Brief Therapy.