Mel Ruiz

(she/her)

LCSW, 10 years of experience
No reviews yet

New to Grow

VirtualAvailable

I’m a trauma therapist and addictions counselor; this is where my heart is. I have the unique ability to see beneath the stains in a person. I can help you heal as far as you’re willing to go. I am a therapist for everyone else. I have a laid-back style. I can treat most mental health needs. I have two master's degrees, post-grad endorsements, but more importantly, I have lived experience. I enjoy working with people who are navigating the heavy weight of past experiences, persistent self-doubt, or the feeling of being constantly on edge. If you often find yourself stuck in overthinking or out-running that inner critic, or just trying to keep your head above water, I’m here to help. My approach is grounded, collaborative, and entirely free of judgment. I don’t view myself as an expert diagnosing you from across the room; rather, I am a teammate walking beside you. We will go at your exact pace, focusing heavily on how your body and mind are responding to stress, while building a toolbox that actually fits your life.

Get to know me

In our first session together, here's what you can expect

There's an old saying that " nobody cares what you know, until they know that you care". Our first session will not entail rapid fire questions that feel awkward and informal. We will have a conversation and get to know each other. By the end of the hour, hopefully I have earned a right to speak into your life.

The biggest strengths that I bring into our sessions

I can list my degrees, post endorsements and accomplishments here, but what stands out is my unique ability to see beneath the stains in a human being and empathetically connect with them.

The clients I'm best positioned to serve

I have a fairly broad scope of practice and feel comfortable treating most population concerns. I specialize in compound trauma and addiction treatment. I feel the client is the expert on themselves, and with the desire to heal and grow, possibilities are endless. I am comfortable working with any age group 14 and above, and from all walks of life.

Specialties

Top specialties

Other specialties

ADHD

Anger Management

I identify as

Serves ages

Teenagers (13 to 17)

Licensed in

Accepts

Location

Offers in-person in 1148 N 2nd St, Grand Junction, CO 81501, 9 (1148 North Second Street Grand Junction Co)

Virtual

My treatment methods

EMDR

Advanced EMDR Compound Trauma. A therapy that helps your brain heal from trauma. Instead of talking deeply about the painful events, we use bilateral movement to help your brain digest the trauma so it loses it emotional grip on you. This is a type of therapy that works relatively quickly once you lay the groundwork.

Cognitive Behavioral (CBT)

Change the way we think about people, places and things. Its a practical, short term therapy that is talk based. It operates on the idea that how we think about things affect us. Our thoughts affect us physically, emotionally and drives how we behave. CBT therapy helps us break negative patterns by identifying , questioning and challenging unhelpful thoughts. In short, thinking about our thinking. So we can our behavior.

Dialectical Behavior (DBT)

DBT is a type of talk therapy for people who feel emotions very intensely. It teaches practical skills to manage distress, regulate emotions, and helps you improve your relationships with others. DBT teaches you the skills of balancing radical acceptance with positive behavioral change for better life satisfaction.

Couples Counseling

Cognitive Behavioral Approach: Addresses negative thought patterns, distorted beliefs, and recurring behavioral cycles within the relationship .This is a structured, goal-oriented approach. The therapist helps partners identify how unhelpful personal thoughts cause conflict, and teaches practical problem-solving strategies, stress management, communication and active listening to strengthen and heal the relationship.

Polyvagal Therapy

Polyvagal therapy is a trauma-informed approach that teaches you to understand and communicate with your nervous system. Instead of treating emotional struggles as "brokenness," it explains how your body automatically shifts into survival modes (fight, flight, or freeze) and provides somatic tools to help you return to a calm state. This therapy works great in tandem with other modalities of treatment.

New to Grow
This provider hasn’t received any written reviews yet. We started collecting written reviews January 1, 2025.