Melanie Kilo - Accredited Mental Health Social Worker and Creative Arts Therapist (Albury)

Areas of interest:

  • Creative arts therapies

  • EMDR

  • ACT

  • Trauma

  • Grief and Loss

  • Gender identity

  • LGBTIAQ+ community

  • Depression/Anxiety

  • Stress management

  • Neurodivergent - including Autistic/ADHD

  • Medicare accredited/NDIS

  • Group work

  • Professional Development

  • Intersectionality and Diversity

  • Supervision and business mentoring

Melanie Kilo (she/her) is an Accredited Mental Health Social Worker (AASW) and Registered Creative Arts Therapist (ANZACATA).

I accompany people navigating trauma, grief, and the parts of identity that don't fit a tidy box, particularly people in the queer and neurodivergent communities. Through my heart-centred practice approach, this tends to look like a blend of talk-based work and creative, expressive approaches; drawing on EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reintegration), ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy), and creative arts therapy alongside the conversation. 

Some of that understanding comes from my own life. I'm the parent of a trans young person, and discovering my own neurodivergence later in life reshaped how I see this work entirely. I know what it costs to spend years performing a version of yourself that isn't quite true, and what opens up when you stop. That's what I want for the people I sit with: not a polished version of themselves, but the real one.

After more than eleven years building Phoenix Wings from the ground up, I've also become someone other practitioners come to for supervision and mentoring, and I run diversity and inclusion consultancy work alongside my clinical practice. I have a growing focus on practitioner education (particularly students), sessional teaching, and professional development.

One more thing: if you visit the office, you'll probably meet Daisy, our wellbeing officer (my cat), who's become something of a fixture around here herself.

Education and training

Masters in Social Work, La Trobe University (2011).
Masters in Therapeutic Arts Practice, MIECAT (2019).
Level 1 and 2 EMDR Therapy (2022).
Graduate Certificate of Intersectionality, Diversity, and Inclusion, Charles Sturt University (2024), awarded the Dean's Award and the Social Work Prize in 2025.
Arts Based Supervision - ANZACATA (2024).
ACT with Russ Harris (2026).

Availability

Currently available Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday in the Albury office or online. No longer taking on clients in Corowa or Wagga.

Daisy the white kitten is head booping Mel

Daisy the white kitten head booping Mel

To complete an intake for an appointment with Mel, fill out the form below or call our reception on (02) 6013 9757.

Cristy Houghton