Hello and welcome! I’m Melissa, a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and Professional Clinical Counselor serving youth, adults, and families in California. Besides being a therapist, I am a passionate advocate at the intersection of art, empowerment, and mental health.

MY APPROACH

I believe in the power of an authentic therapeutic relationship. I show up as a real person with tools and experience to work with you on cultivating the life you want to live. My clients are adults, teens, children, and families from diverse family formations and community cultures.

I embrace the opportunity to work with neurodivergent individuals, LGBTQIA+ folks, and creatives (or the creatively curious) of all kinds. My therapy practice is grounded in integrative Somatic Psychotherapy, Multicultural Attachment-Based Family Systems, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and expressive arts. In our sessions, we can use evidence-based techniques with a holistic body-mind focus, as well as creative tools and expressions, depending on what resonates with our work together.

MY BACKGROUND

I hold an MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Palo Alto University, complemented by specialized training in strength-based trauma treatment and somatic psychotherapies such as applied Polyvagal Theory and Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, as well as extensive experience with play and expressive art techniques.

My path to becoming a therapist intertwines with a background in expressive arts as an educator and visual artist. An MFA in Social Practice in the Arts from the California College of the Arts led to subsequent years devoted to arts, arts education, and community engagement. This work incorporated youth and human rights advocacy, as well as teaching trauma sensitive self-defense and art empowerment through creative expression. Interacting with others in these spaces enriched my understanding of neurodiversity and creativity’s potent strengths within both personal and communal spheres. In addition, over six years of participation in a parent education program laid the foundation for subsequent therapeutic family support. Working with people while living in different countries—including Japan, Chile, South Korea, and New Zealand—and engaging with a wide range of communities and life experiences has been both humbling and inspiring, ultimately leading me to return to school to pursue an education in psychology and counseling.

Drawing from my own lived experience with neurodivergence as an AuDHDer, as well as parenting, life transitions, and healing from burnout and injuries, I encourage self-care that fits each person’s passion and capacity. I bring creativity, empathy, and a real passion for mental health and advocacy into my work, using skills shaped by years of trauma-informed and somatic-focused training. My long practice of Brazilian jiu-jitsu, my art background, and my experiences living and communicating across cultures give me multiple perspectives that support the growth and healing I aim to cultivate with my clients.