Melanie Pensak

About

Melanie Pensak is a speech-language pathologist, mindfulness teacher, grief educator and CIRS advocate devoted to helping others heal and thrive through communication, presence, nature and education on environmental illnesses. She holds 2 decades of experience working with children and families as a Certified Speech-Language Pathologist and currently provides direct speech therapy online to children and adults in California, Texas, Maryland, and Maine. She received her Master’s degree from Duquesne University and an additional Certificate of Early Intervention through Georgetown University’s Continuing Studies. Sessions for both children and adults are personalized, playful and rooted in evidence-based practices. She brings her deep understanding of mindfulness, mold illness and tick borne diseases into her speech therapy work to help people heal and thrive on multiple levels. Melanie is also a Certified Mindfulness Teacher through the Mindfulness Training Institute and an Awake in the Wild facilitator. She offers nature-based meditation classes and mentoring in person and online helping people remember how to honor the Earth and nurture deep interconnection with the land where they live. She has completed additional Trauma-Sensitive Mindfulness training and runs The Practice Portal, an online meditation and wellness communication platform with regular meditation classes. As a Certified Grief Educator, Melanie holds space for those experiencing a spectrum of emotions, specializing in guiding people through the grieving process of chronic illness. She leads healing grief circles in the spirit of Council following Level 1 Training and offers 1:1 grief support. For those with CIRS (Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome) caused by biotoxin exposure from living in water-damaged buildings or tick borne diseases, Melanie offers 1:1 Emotional Support as well as CIRS Mentoring, helping patients problem solve the complexities of recovery. She completed Shoemaker Proficiency Partner Diplomate and A4M’s Breakthroughs in CIRS training after surviving a serious presentation of CIRS. Melanie runs the Meditation for CIRS Membership which includes a weekly meditation class each Monday and seasonal CIRS Healing Grief Circles. Additionally, she collects research on mindfulness meditation and grief courses as nervous system and emotional supports during CIRS recovery. Melanie hosts The Heart of CIRS Podcast which shares heartfelt stories and science from CIRS patients and professionals.