Tending the gap and the overlap: clinical therapy and healing arts for clients, practitioners, and community.
Our providers:
Melanie Storrusten, LCSW - owner and therapist, providing therapy for deeper healing, specializing in working with folks healing after trauma, LGB and trans clients, those seeking to reaffirm their connection with their bodies that may feel disrupted due to stress and trauma, illness or injury, body image concerns, or all of the ways society teaches us not to listen to our truest innermost voice. Melanie utilizes yoga, meditation, breath practices, reiki, and EMDR as well as traditional talk-therapy techniques. Visit http://www.alignwellnessatl.com to read about our other clinicians.
04/13/2026
Rage Becomes Her - A women's book club with Kaleigh McAfee, AMFT and IFS therapist discussing Rage Becomes Her: The Power of Women's Anger by Soraya Chemaly
This virtual space is for women to wonder together about how we have been and how we can be in relationship with the parts of us that are enraged – our own and in other women. The group will include: a guided discussion of the book, somatic and parts-exploring work to build relationship with our own rage parts, and group sharing. Our goal for the group is that participants will leave with a better understanding of the ways in which your own rage parts need to be held/expressed and a plan for how you'll maintain relationship with these parts.
The group will meet on zoom from 10:00am - 12:00pm on Sunday April 19th. Registration is required and space is limited. The cost of the group is a minimum donation of $9, with a portion of proceeds plus our own donation going to support the Augusta, GA (Kaleigh's local community) Sexual Assault Response Center. This group is for peer support and educational purposes and is not a therapy group.
Save the date! A L I G N is turning 10 years old this year and we are throwing a party to mark the occasion. Save a spot on your calendar for Friday afternoon 3-6pm June 19th for therapist networking and celebration. I'm already so excited to see all of you!
04/10/2026
Meet Jizo, a Bodhisattva - a being who has reached enlightenment, but by choice incarnates again and again to work for the liberation of all beings. An embodiment of the wisdom: none of us are free until we all are. Jizo in particular is a representation of selfless compassion and dedication to humanity, known as a defender of children, travelers, and those stuck in the deepest realms of suffering. Even the concept of such a being brings me comfort - a cosmic response to "look for the helpers." Plus, he's simply adorable. If you feel drawn to him, you might like to research him more and see what he may have to teach you.
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At Align, we believe that three things are crucial to be a part of everyone's care plan, especially now: 1. connection to true community where there is not only affinity, but a reciprocal exchange of practical support, 2. purposeful action where meaningful impact can be seen, and 3. spiritual beliefs and practices.
Spirituality is a tricky thing for a lot of us. Some of us don't have any spiritual beliefs and don't want any, and some of us have been greatly wounded by religion. At Align, we define spirituality as anything that makes us feel more connected to:
- our innermost self
- to others and the Earth
- or to God - however we may define or hold the mystery of that concept.
We have found deep spirituality in nature, in our neighbors, in silence, in our body, in rooms full of addicts, in deities of religions we don't even believe in, in the wonders of science, in poetry, art, and music, in atheist philosophy, around campfires, in volunteer groups, in singing together, in yoga, in ritual, in running, in our own therapy offices, in pain and loss, in joy and awe. We share small glimpses of spirituality wherever we might find it, not that we want you to believe in any particular thing - or in anything at all, but that you might find something meaningful, somewhere. May it be of benefit.❤️ 🙏
04/09/2026
Hold a hand. Hug a friend. Lay on the Earth, preferably under a tree. Pet your pet. Do one whole-hearted Sun Salutation. Hike Stone Mountain (tell him I said hello and I miss him). Sing together - at a concert, at church, or with Singing Resistance Atlanta. Grieve in a group at the Grief House. People watch at The High or tulip watch at the Botanical Gardens or go have a picnic at Oakland Cemetery. Join a walking group. Take a yoga class in person. (We love Conjure Yoga and our virtual Monday night class with Megan Nare, or add a giant llama with Brawner Raymond.) Get a tattoo. Meditate with monks at Drepung Loseling. Watch a candle flame. Gaze at an icon or yantra. Get in water. Add salt. Sit with a blueberry bush. Share a blanket with someone you love. Lean into the wind. Be moved by the tide. Birdwatch. Bugwatch. Co-work or co-hobby. Hold your baby. Dance with somebody.
We are meant to heal ✨️together✨️, not alone.
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How are the therapists coping? is a series of posts where our therapists share their most impactful coping skills during times of non-stop chaos and crisis. We'd love to hear yours, too. May it be of benefit. ❤️ 🙏
04/07/2026
From Align therapist Julie Lane, LPC:
"One of my favorite tools to share with clients (and I use it myself) is a DBT technique of self soothing using the 5 senses. I encourage people to explore what sights, sounds, things to touch, smells, and even tastes are calming for each individual. You can create a little bag of goodies and/or a playlist with videos/sounds that help ground you when feeling anxious or overwhelmed. It could be anything from watching or listening to ocean waves crashing onto a shoreline to the scent of a eucalyptus candle to holding a cold blue stone in your hand. These items can help in many situations, for example if you have some anxiety being on the interstate, during a job interview, or before a medical procedure."
04/06/2026
Join me for our first Front Porch - a quarterly virtual Career Mentorship Q&A for Therapists, offered at no cost as our gift to you, 12:00-1:00 pm on Wednesday, April 29th (and every fifth Wednesday).
Bring any and all of your questions about starting out as a clinical social worker/therapist or starting/expanding a private practice! Melanie Storrusten, LCSW, owner/creator/mama of Align will be answering any and all of your questions.
I first read this book around 2007, and since then it is probably my most recommended book, to clients and friends alike. It might feel like old news now, but back then it was the first time I'd ever encountered ideas about "watching" my thoughts, and that maybe there was a "me" that existed behind the thoughts, observing. When I type this, I can still feel the spot in the back of my mind where I first felt this "me" sitting. 💘 I also remember having to re-read some of the passages to myself several times - the ideas were so new to me I didn't even have brain pathways laid down to make sense of them. Ultimately, I just let soak in what could soak in back then, and I think enough did. May it be the same for you and all who read this treasure of a book. I think I'll add it back to my to-read stack again.
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We'll be sharing some books that are inspiring and challenging us along the way. We would love to hear some of your favorites or newest impactful reads, too!
04/02/2026
Mindful Walks with Julie Lane, LPC - April dates: 4th and 29th - South Peachtree Creek Trail, Mason Mill Park, Decatur
Join Align Wellness therapist Julie Lane for a mindful group walk, featuring gentle movement in nature and a guided mindfulness break.
"Life keeps us moving so fast that we rarely slow down enough to truly be present. You’re invited to a meditative walk where you can ground yourself in nature and reconnect with your body. In shared silence, you can release stress and anxiety without the need to speak or explain, simply arriving as you are. Along the way, we’ll pause for a 10–15 minute guided meditation, deepening our connection to breath, body, and the natural world around us. This is a time to reconnect with your inner wisdom and feel held by the space we create together. Come join us in this experience where you can just be."
Align therapist, Kaleigh McAfee, AMFT shares what she calls her "morning moments" practice: "Instead of jumping straight into work and do do do, I start my day with morning moments. Things that fill my cup - connecting with others (emailing or writing letters to my distant friends and penpals, making Christmas or birthday lists, or planning get togethers), connecting with myself (grief tending, journaling, connecting with spirit/pulling oracle cards), or just for fun (creating a "Survivor" train-up program, reading, or
whatever else I'm into at the time)."
In business, there's an adage: pay yourself first. And we all know in airplane emergencies you're to put your own mask on first. Both of these speak to ensuring sustainability and service to others. What if we allow these ✨️morning moments✨️ to go beyond the motivation to be helpful to others? Sure, let's be helpful to others, but also, let us acknowledge that we deserve good things from our days regardless of what else does or doesn't get done. Especially when the rest of our days might be chaotic, stressful, or full of pouring out - we need to find the things that pour into us, and to do that ✨️first✨️.
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How are the therapists coping? is a series of posts where our therapists share their personally most impactful coping skills during times of non-stop chaos and crisis. We'd love to hear yours, too. May it be of benefit. ❤️ 🙏
03/31/2026
Your therapist prescribes a double dose of oxytocin today. (this is really the only prescription they allow us to write). Willard and Hillard (Hilly) are happy to oblige. 👯
Kaleigh McAfee, AMFT in her other role as cat mama.
*as helpful as we know it was, this post is not therapy and our cat prescription does not constitute a therapeutic relationship. However if you'd like us to be your therapist, visit our website.
03/30/2026
Rage Becomes Her - A women's book club with Kaleigh McAfee, AMFT and IFS therapist discussing *Rage Becomes Her: The Power of Women's Anger* by Soraya Chemaly
This virtual space is for women to wonder together about how we have been and how we can be in relationship with the parts of us that are enraged - in ourselves and in other women. The group will include: a guided discussion of the book, somatic and parts-exploring work to build relationship with our own rage parts, and group sharing. Our goal for the group is that participants will leave with a better understanding of the ways in which your own rage parts need to be held/expressed and a plan for how you'll maintain relationship with
these parts.
The group will meet on zoom from 10:00am - 12:00pm on Sunday April 19th. Registration is required and space is limited. The cost of the group is a minimum donation of $9, with a portion of proceeds plus our own donation going to support the Augusta, GA (Kaleigh's local community) Sexual Assault Response Center. This group is for peer support and educational purposes and is not a therapy group.
Megan Nare, Align's yoga instructor, shares this 18-minute guided meditation on Recalling Goodness in Difficult Times. It is our free gift to you, among other guided meditations.
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We provide holistic and integrative mental health treatment encompassing body, mind, and soul by utilizing conventional and alternative methods to facilitate connection with your innate and free-flowing capacity for deeper healing.
Our intention is that our work would contribute to a world where we all know ourselves more fully, care for ourselves more freely, take up space more confidently, and live more joyfully and abundantly from a place of purpose, compassion, and grace.
Align Wellness is filled with compassionate and skilled clinicians ready to meet you where you are, and to walk alongside you on your way to where you want to be. Whether you are looking for traditional therapy, deeper trauma therapy, yoga and meditation instruction, energy work, or holistic psychiatric medication support, we hope that one of our providers will be a good fit for meeting your needs. Read more about our services and reach out to connect about the type of work that feels most resonant to you.
For the traditionalist
Align Wellness Solutions specializes in providing therapy services to address issues of stress, anxiety, and trauma. One of our core beliefs is that this kind of deeper healing happens beneath the realm of cognition and the analytical (our over-thinking minds) - that healing lies in the domain of emotion, energy, and our physical bodies. So our work is based on restoring your connection and relationship to these parts of yourself.
Accessing the subtle body
EMDR
Eye-Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing is a powerful tool for treating post-traumatic stress disorder and for shifting negative core beliefs. This specialized technique can be incorporated into your therapy sessions with Melanie, or added on to your work with another therapist.
Yoga and Meditation
Confession: "yoga and meditation" is redundant. Yoga is a multi-faceted path that includes not only asana, the physical poses we usually think of as "yoga," but also breathwork and several layers of what we usually call "meditation."
Really, yoga means union.
We can use yoga's many tools of mind-body union - whether by way of breathing exercises and guided meditation practices, or sometimes incorporating small amounts of asana practices.
Reiki
Usui Reiki is a system of energy healing in which providers have received attunements to enable them to channel universal life energy (ki/chi/prana) in order to facilitate the body's innate ability to heal. It is used in hospitals and hospices around the world as a complementary treatment. Reiki can be a stand-alone service or can serve as a support for the deep work you are doing in therapy.
Holistic Psychiatric Care
With the addition of Lindsay Fuson, NP, we are pleased to offer holistic and integrated psychiatric services. Lindsay provides conventional medication management services, and also guidance and support regarding natural and alternative methods of managing your mental health symptoms.
