Behavioral Health Liaison
Child & Perinatal Psychiatry Networks (CPAN/PeriPAN)
Phone: 903-877-5901
Email: arianna.mellinger@uttyler.edu
Building: B444
Department: Robert M. Rogers Department of Psychiatry
Additional Department: School of Medicine
Arianna Mellinger, LCDC-CI
Arianna Mellinger is a committed mental health professional whose personal journey with behavioral and addiction challenges deeply informs her work in the field. She earned her certification as a Chemical Dependency Counselor from Houston Community College, and previously worked with Houston’s Mobile Crisis Outreach Team, offering peer support to youth and adults facing mental health and substance-abuse issues.
She holds several certifications, including Justice Involved Peer Support Specialist, Recovery Peer Support Specialist, and LCDC-CI, and is passionate about addressing the intersection of youth, mental health, and the criminal justice system. Arianna is also the lead organizer for Gregg, Smith, and Rusk counties for the Lioness Justice Impacted Women’s Alliance for East Texas, and frequently speaks on topics related to mental health, substance abuse, and justice-involved populations. Her lived experience fuels her commitment to advocating for those impacted by incarceration and seeking alternatives to the criminal justice system.
In 2024, Arianna founded the peer support and advisory service, Recovery Innovation Consultation, LLC, with the goal of one day creating a nonprofit organization that offers resources, education, therapy, and food to youth and young adults—especially in areas lacking such services—aiming to provide a safe space for those impacted by the justice system and their families. Through her efforts, she hopes to bring vital support and opportunities to her community and beyond.