LCSW, 13 years of experience
New to Grow
Hi, I'm Melissa! I'm a therapist in California, and I have 13 years of experience supporting clients of all ages. I specialize in working with young adults, and enjoy helping clients navigate life transitions. I'm also passionate about working with survivors of trauma, and have particular experience helping people work through developmental and childhood trauma. My approach integrates practical, day-to-day strategies combined with emotional exploration, helping you gain insights into your thoughts and feelings. When I'm not wearing my therapist hat, I love reading, watching too much reality TV, and spending time with my family.
In our first session, I want to know all about you! Specifically, we'll talk about what brings you to therapy, and I'll ask questions about your background and your current life. I'll work with you to identify goals that you have for therapy. I'll also invite you to ask me any questions that you have.
My greatest strength as a therapist is helping people feel heard and validated. I'm also able to create a safe and secure space for you to show up with whatever you want to bring to therapy. Additionally, I can ask though provoking questions in a way that encourages self-reflection and facilitates change.
I love to work with clients who are curious about themselves and open to exploring their inner world. I work well with clients who want to gain insight, into either a current life situation, or past experiences. It's also a pleasure to work with clients who have never been to therapy - I know what an important and sometimes challenging step this is, and I'm honored to introduce you to all that therapy can be.
CBT can help clients with easily applicable strategies to use throughout the week to challenge certain thinking patterns. I help clients identify certain thoughts and feelings that come up in different situations, and provide tips to shift certain ways of thinking.
I've been trained in Emotionally Focused Individual Training. This type of therapy is based in attachment theory, and focuses on identifying and reshaping negative emotional patterns and deepening emotional awareness.