Molly Talo, LCSW

Credentials and trainings:​

  • Undergraduate degree in Psychology, Michigan State University, 2014

  • Graduate degree in Clinical Social Work, University of Michigan, 2016

  • Level III Endorsement in Infant Mental Health, MI-AIMH 2021

  • Psychedelic Therapy training, Blue Sage Health Consulting

  • Somatic Therapies training, Embody Lab

  • Plant Medicine Integration Coaching, Plant Medicine People

  • Minding the Heart - IFS, AEDP, and Generative Somatics, Deep Centered

  • Foundational Safe and Sound Protocol training, MyUnyte

  • 3-month IFS training Group, Tori Olds, Ph.D.

A woman with long brown hair sits on a concrete ledge near a tree, smiling at the camera. She is wearing a mustard yellow sweater, a leopard print skirt, and black high-heeled sandals.

A Little More About Me

A young woman with glasses smiling outdoors under a clear blue sky, holding a butterfly on her finger.

My path into this work began with a deep desire to understand myself and others. I was always asking big questions: Why do we suffer? What helps us change? What does real connection feel like?

That curiosity led me to study Psychology at Michigan State, where I fell in love with the complexity of the human mind. After graduation, working in a residential facility with children, I found myself longing to do more of what the therapists were doing. I knew then it was time to keep going.

A fluffy, multicolored cat with green eyes sitting on a blue-green carpeted floor in a room with a wooden bookshelf, artwork, and various items in the background.

After I earned my Master’s degree in Social Work from the University of Michigan, I began my career working in Detroit with children ages 0-6 in their homes with their families, focusing on attachment, trauma, development, and family resilience. I was deeply integrated into the family’s intimate functioning to be a source of care, resources, developmentally appropriate play and bonding, and support around many of life’s challenges created by how our society is built.

From there, I’ve worked with teens, college students, to middle-aged adults, continuing to see how these early life experiences as a child travel with us throughout our lives, especially during life transitions and deepening relationships.

Woman crouched on grass making a colorful abstract painting on a white canvas, sticking out her tongue, wearing glasses, a yellow top, and black shorts, with other painting supplies nearby.

Over time, I found myself reaching for something beyond what traditional clinical frameworks offered. The deeper I went into the work, the more I noticed a missing piece—one that wasn’t taught in grad school or captured in a diagnostic code. Burnout and the global pandemic cracked something open in me. I began reconnecting to my own spirituality and exploring alternative and ancestral pathways to healing.

Since then, I’ve been integrating holistic, somatic, and energy-based approaches into my practice. I’ve studied nervous system regulation, inner child work, psychedelic integration, esoteric tools, ancestral reconnection, and shamanic frameworks for spiritual development. My work is deeply informed by the belief that healing is not just cognitive or behavioral, but relational, embodied, and soulful.

I hold deep respect for the cultural and spiritual traditions that many of these tools draw from, and I strive to engage with them responsibly, with humility and ongoing reflection.

I also believe that modern therapy must reckon with its colonial roots, and I’m witnessing how my field is slowly shifting toward this reckoning. I see this as the beginning of correcting the historical harm caused by colonialism and scientific materialism that has resulted in our current separation from spiritual, cultural, and ancestral knowledge.

Black cat sitting on a multicolored striped rug, with a yellow and orange toy and a blue plush fish nearby, in a living room with furniture and a lamp in the background.

These days, my clients often arrive somewhere between curiosity and burnout. Some are spiritually open but skeptical; others are experienced seekers wanting grounded support through a new layer of growth in their journey. Together, we build a space that’s real, honest, and adaptive—whether we’re deepening self-trust, exploring identity, or simply learning how to feel again.

A woman with glasses and a scarf smiling on a couch, with a black cat and a calico cat resting on her lap.

Outside of work, I find joy in the small things: reading (currently halfway through The Wheel of Time), painting, hiking, being near water and lying out in the sun, open mics, shared meals, and cozy nights with friends. I live with two very opinionated cats, Opal and Shadow, who do their part to keep things weird and playful!