About
I teach, I guide, and I like small rooms.
I've held a lot of roles in this field. The one I come back to is sitting beside one person on a hard day.
I'm Melissa. I earned my master of social work at Chico State in 2012 and have been licensed as a clinical social worker in California since 2022. I've worked in crisis and disaster recovery, and I stayed in the field long enough to supervise therapists, direct a clinical program and run a group practice as its chief executive.
Leadership taught me what the job asks of the people at the top of it, and how much of it goes unsaid. It also reminded me which part of this work I love most. My favorite hat has always been the teaching one, and the closest version of it is working with one person at a time and helping them understand what's going on inside them.
Trauma is the center of my work. I've completed advanced training in complex trauma (Certified Clinical Trauma Professional, Level II; certification in progress), and I'm trained in EMDR and the Flash Technique. I use parts work and body-based practices because I've seen how often a person can understand a thing completely and still not feel any different until the body gets involved.
I know some of this from the inside. I'm neurodivergent, I've lived through a lot of hard things, and I've done my own work. My practice is queer-affirming and at home with brains that work differently. I try not to waste anyone's time, and I'd rather say the plain thing once.
What I believe about this work
You're the expert on your own life. I bring training and a steady nervous system. You bring the knowledge of what your days are like. We're better together than either of us alone.
Truth is a relief. Many of my clients have spent years being the calm one, and have gotten very good at keeping the peace. I'm not interested in more peace-keeping. I'm interested in what the peace is covering, and I'll go there at a pace you can handle.
Small and daily beats big and rare. The changes that last tend to be short practices done often. That's why every client leaves with one.
Rest is part of the work. It's why intensives include real breaks and why I'll sometimes slow us down.
Outside the office
I garden, cook and keep a house full of plants. I like being near water. I try to practice what I teach, which most days means a few minutes of something small and repeated, and some days means I forgot and start again.
Credentials
- Licensed Clinical Social Worker, California LCSW #112257
- MSW, California State University, Chico, 2012
- Advanced complex-trauma training: Certified Clinical Trauma Professional, Level II (certification in progress)
- Trained in EMDR and the Flash Technique
- Prior roles: clinical supervisor, clinical director, chief executive officer of a group practice