Meet Melissa Kelly
Q: What do you do for a living?
I design and build websites for therapists. Therapists in private practice are basically small business owners, but they really don’t get any training or support in how to actually get clients. On top of that, they are so focused on helping their clients, they are often dealing with lots of administrative tasks, bookkeeping, all of that – so they just don’t have a lot of time to learn either.
So there’s a lot of need for support for therapists so that they can keep doing the good work that they do.
Q: You used to work directly in the mental health field yourself. What led you to make that transition?
Yes! I was a therapist in private practice myself for about 7 to 8 years. The short version is that while I was in private practice I started feeling the urge to do more creative work. I started a consultation service helping other therapists with their marketing. I found I really enjoyed using a different part of my brain. Eventually one of my clients said “Hey, would you want to try making my website?” And I said yes, and totally fell in love with that process. I still feel that way about it 9 years later!
The longer version of how I got here has to do with becoming a mom for the first time. I had my son in 2018 and as I was preparing for his arrival, I was thinking “how could I do work that is more flexible?”. During my pregnancy, I even completed the floral design program at Cass School of Floral Design in Watertown (shoutout to Cass!).
I thought about becoming a florist. but I realized that it would mean working weekends, being available for events, and so on.
So then I thought “could I make this web design thing a business?”. I officially closed my practice in 2019 and I’ve been designing sites for therapists almost exclusively since! You can learn more about it at Go Bloom Creative.
Q: Does your experience in the mental health field shape the way you approach website design for your clients?
I think my days as a therapist really help me pull together threads. As a therapist you get good at listening for themes. Your client is talking, and they may feel like they are not making sense or they are “all over the place”, but as a therapist you are holding those different threads and weaving them together over time.
Weirdly, helping my clients NOW with web design is similar in that way. I ask a lot of questions. I listen. I try to help them figure out what they really want, what they are really good at, and what makes them unique. Then I help them join all those threads together to create a coherent message for their website. That way, when a potential client comes to their website, they understand “oh, this person is right for me”. Or maybe they understand right away “this person is not for me”, and I have to remind my therapist clients that this is OK too.
That leads me to the other piece that’s kind of the deeper part that keeps me inspired to do this work, and it’s related to the idea that not every client is right for every therapist. Therapists can’t specialize in everything. Sometimes they have to refer to someone else who is specialized in a certain area. However, I think a lot of therapists feel bad “turning someone away” so they will burn themselves out reading a million books, and going to a million trainings to try to be all things to all people. (And I’m speaking from my own experience here, this was absolutely me). And that’s a recipe for burnout.
Instead, if therapists do what they love, and do what they are excited about, and focus on certain areas where they have more experience and success, they end up with a better work life and more longevity in their career.
So underneath what I do – choosing fonts and colors, writing good headings, and so on – is a desire to support therapists in really building a caseload that lights them up so they can help more people for a longer time. I’m not a therapist anymore, but it’s kind of my way of staying in the fight, so to speak.
Q: What brought you and your family to Watertown?
Oh my goodness. OK, so I actually grew up basically around the corner from where I live now, haha. I lived here until I was 16, when my family moved. At the time I was an angsty teenager and I was like “I’m getting out of here and I’m never coming back” lol.
But, I moved back again around age 27 (I’m 45 now). I was working at MGH as a social worker. At the time it was an affordable place for a 1-bedroom apartment, right on the bus line to the red line. I think I still thought I wouldn’t stay here forever.
And then I got married and my husband and I decided to buy a house. We looked in Arlington, Cambridge, Somerville … but Watertown ended up being the most affordable option, so we bought our house in the East End in 2013.
Now, I have a completely different feeling about Watertown. I absolutely love it, and I embrace my “townie” credentials haha. I have such an amazing community of other parents here and of neighbors. I just feel really proud to live here and be from here, now that I am well past my angsty teenager years and can appreciate everything this town has to offer.
Q: Is there a place, activity, or part of town that has become a favorite for your family? Where do you all feel most at home and part of the community?
So definitely the school (my son goes to Hosmer) is really central to our lives. Hosmer, from the school to the extended day program, is just so incredible. Not just the gorgeous new building, but just the thoughtful, inclusive, supportive way they approach everything they do. We have just had such a wonderful experience there. I brag about how awesome it is all the time!
We also go to the library almost every weekend. We are big readers here.
And then also the bike path! The new part that was created allows us to bike all the way to Fresh Pond, or walk up to Intelligentsia – it’s awesome!
Also, I have to shout out MacDonald Academy of Martial Arts. My son has been taking lessons there for 1.5 years and that is also such an awesome little community. Tara and Brian, who run the school, are just such stand up people. They are so good with the kids – they really know how to balance out fun and learning.
So those are a few of my favorites.
Q: We met when you generously volunteered to do some pro bono website work for a non-profit group I’m in. What motivates you to take on those projects?
Yes! I have done a few websites now supporting nonprofits or organizations supporting progressive issues.
To me, it’s a way I can take action using the skills and tools that I have. I think it’s easy to feel helpless and like problems are too big to overcome. But, I think everyone is good at something. So if you look at the skills you have, there are ways you can apply those to the greater good. Even if it feels like a small thing, imagine if everyone did that? It adds up to something much bigger and more powerful.
You might not know how to lobby Congress, or organize a protest, but you’re good at something and that something can be used for good.
Q: Is there a nonprofit project you’ve worked on that was particularly meaningful to you?
Yes! I just helped Indivisible Progressive Watertown launch their website in September. They do so many different things, and it’s completely run by volunteers, so it was meaningful for me to help them organize all of what they do onto a website, and know that the website can be a launchpad for them. They are really good at what they do, so I continue to support them in the things that I’m good at on the tech side.
To me, every time I feel like “I’m too busy to work on this today” I just remember how they are standing outside in Watertown Square on a freezing day in February, holding up signs and I think “this is the least I can do.”
Q: Is it harder or easier to work with non-profits vs. a client who is paying for your expertise and time?
Ha, that’s a great question. It’s a completely different experience, I’ve found. With my clients, it’s just me and them. They are the main stakeholder.
When working with a nonprofit there are many stakeholders, many opinions, many voices. So it’s natural that the first part is just getting everyone on the same page about what the website is for, what the goals are, what needs to be highlighted, what the call(s) to action are, and so on.
I just expect it to be a longer process, and that’s OK. And when it’s a volunteer job, they also understand that I’m a volunteer and I have other obligations each week, so the expectation to turn it around quickly isn’t there. I find it SO rewarding. Especially the part about taking all of the ideas and eventually ending up with this one product that represents them.
Q: How about when you’re not working or parenting or volunteering? What brings you joy and refills your batteries?
I have always been a big reader, so that’s my “me time.” I love to read fantasy, that’s probably my favorite, but I also love fiction in general, and I also love memoirs.
Exercise. I have been going to Solidcore in Arsenal Yards for a little over a year and that is challenging but really fun. I always have some sort of new fitness thing I’m doing to mix it up.
Time with friends. I have made so many friends since my son started at Hosmer 3 years ago. I feel really lucky to be surrounded by so many cool parents.
And travel! We’ve taken my son to I think 9 different countries since he was born. The next big trip will be our farthest flung: Japan this coming summer!
Q: What’s something people in town might be surprised to learn about you?
My mom went to Hosmer School, as did I, and now my son is there. So we are 3 generations of Huskies!
Q: What’s something you wish more people knew about Watertown?
Our Armenian markets are a must. All of the desserts, dips and produce at Arax? The sandwiches at Massis? There’s nothing better.
Q: What something you’re looking forward to in the coming year?
Another good question. To be honest, I still haven’t come to grips with the fact that it’s November. How did that happen? Isn’t it still summer?
We had an awesome vacation in August, school started, I had a trip with friends last month, and now the holidays are upon us.
So the first thing that comes to my mind when you asked me that: I’m looking forward to some peace and quiet and maybe even some downtime . . . I’m not sure when that will happen. But I feel grateful to have a life so full of fun things to do, an awesome family, great community, and a job that keeps me as busy as I want to be. So I can’t complain. I’ll get a nap at some point ;)
