Melissa is a Registered Psychologist in the province of Alberta. She earned her Master of Counselling in Counselling Psychology from Athabasca University and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology with a minor in Sociology from the University of Alberta.
Melissa has been actively involved in her community through many years of volunteer work as a distress line listener and youth mentor, where she gained valuable experience supporting individuals through difficult situations, navigating crises, and working with people from diverse backgrounds.
Melissa further developed her clinical skills through her internship at The Family Centre, where she provided therapy to individuals in both office and school settings. Through this experience, she worked with youth and adults experiencing a variety of concerns and developed a strong foundation in supporting clients through different stages of life.
Melissa believes that seeking support takes courage and that healing begins within a safe, compassionate, and collaborative therapeutic relationship. She incorporates compassion and self-compassion practices alongside evidence-based counselling approaches to help clients better understand themselves, navigate challenges, and reconnect with their own strengths. Melissa works from a variety of therapeutic modalities, including Solution-Focused Therapy, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Narrative Therapy, Family Systems Therapy, and mindfulness-based approaches.
Using a relational, client-centred, and strengths-based approach, Melissa recognizes that clients are the experts in their own lives. She works collaboratively with each individual, adapting her approach to meet their unique needs, goals, values, and experiences. Melissa strives to create a space where clients feel understood, supported, and empowered to use their own strengths and resources to create meaningful change.
Melissa provides individual therapy for adolescents (16+) and adults (18+) experiencing concerns related to anxiety, depression, stress, burnout, self-care, trauma, life transitions, peer relationships, relationship concerns, school-related challenges, women’s issues, perinatal mental health, cultural and racial concerns, and other life challenges.
Melissa has a special interest in supporting individuals experiencing anxiety, depression, burnout, trauma-related concerns, perinatal mental health challenges, and cultural or racial concerns. She enjoys working with young adults, BIPOC individuals, individuals navigating pregnancy and postpartum transitions, and those adjusting to the many changes that come with growing their families.
To support individuals through the perinatal period, including preconception, pregnancy, and postpartum, Melissa is Perinatal Mental Health Certified (PMH-C) through Postpartum Support International. This certification included specialized training in perinatal mental health, including Perinatal Mood Disorders: Components of Care and Advanced Perinatal Mental Health Psychotherapy.
Melissa is a wife, a mother of three littles, and a cat mom to two furry companions. In her free time, she enjoys painting, reading, yoga, biking, swimming, travelling, and exploring new adventures with her family.
