Virginia License No. 0701006052
EMDRIA Certified Therapist Certification Number: 124480

Licensed by Virginia’s Board of Counseling since 2015, Melissa earned her Master’s degree in Clinical Psychology from Radford University and her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology with a minor in Sociology from Saginaw Valley State University. Her passion for supporting trauma survivors and creating safer, abuse-free communities began during her internship at the Women’s Resource Center in Radford from 2007 to 2008. She went on to serve in a variety of clinical and leadership roles at Mount Rogers Community Services from 2008 to 2021, including crisis counselor, outpatient counselor, therapeutic day treatment counselor, intensive in-home counselor, Rapid Access intake counselor, Counseling Program Manager, and Comprehensive Family Programs Director.

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In 2021, Melissa established her private practice as a solo provider, guided by a vision to deliver personalized and effective mental health care. The practice has since expanded into a thriving group practice, where she leads a team of skilled therapists and staff. As an approved supervisor by the Virginia Board of Counseling, she provides clinical supervision to Residents in Counseling, Qualified Mental Health Professionals, and Peer Recovery Specialists, and has mentored numerous bachelor’s- and master’s-level interns.

 

Throughout her career, Melissa has worked with children, adolescents, and adults navigating trauma, depression, anxiety, and addiction. Her person-centered, evidence-based approach empowers clients to take an active role in their healing and growth.

 

At this time, Melissa is not accepting new EMDR therapy clients. Instead, she is expanding her focus on EMDR consultation and professional development. She offers a standing EMDR consultation group via Google Meet for clinicians who have completed the first weekend of EMDR basic training, as well as for those pursuing EMDR certification. Through consultation, she supports clinicians in deepening their clinical skills, strengthening fidelity to the EMDR model, and growing in confidence as trauma-informed providers.

 

In addition to her clinical and consultation work, Melissa offers Private Practice Architect services for therapists looking to build, grow, or scale a sustainable and values-aligned practice. She provides strategic guidance on business structure, systems, team development, and operational workflows, helping clinicians move from overwhelmed providers to confident practice owners. Drawing from her experience growing a multi-location group practice, Melissa supports therapists in creating streamlined, profitable, and mission-driven businesses.

 

Melissa remains deeply committed to advancing the quality of mental health care in Southwest Virginia by developing competent, compassionate clinicians who create meaningful change within their communities.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In-Network Provider for:
Aetna
Aetna Betterhealth
Anthem / Blue Cross Blue Shield
Cigna
Evernorth

Humana Medicaid
Magellan

Medicare
MedCost
Molina Complete Care
Multiplan
Optima
Optum
Sentara Health Plans
Tricare
UnitedHealthcare
Virginia Premier
VA Community Care Provider

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Continuing Education:

November 2025: Disability, Ableism, and Advocacy: Navigating Current and Changing Educational Settings - 1 hour

November 2025: Virginia Counselors Association Annual Conference: The Many Within: Healing through Parts Work, the Wisdom of the Body, and the Power of Self - 1 hour

November 2025: Virginia Counselors Association Annual Conference: Self-Care Across Disciplines - 1 hour

November 2025: Virginia Counselors Association Annual Conference: Ethics in Action: Using the ACA Ethical Decision Making Model to Reduce Risk in School Counseling - 1 hour of Ethics

November 2025: Virginia Counselors Association Annual Conference: Heart is the Hero: How Our Heart Influences Relationships, Resiliency, and Regulation - 1 hour

November 2025: Virginia Counselors Association Annual Conference: Healing the Bonds that Hurt Us: Attachment Wounds and Intimate Partner Violence - 1 hour

November 2025: Virginia Counselors Association Annual Conference: Keynote - Counselors: Strengthening Connections and Transforming Lives - 1 hour

May 2025: Clinical Consultation - Supervision of Supervision - 1 hour

April 2025: Clinical Supervisor Toolkit: Specialty Supervisor Training - 4 hours, including 1 hour of Ethics

February 2025: Southwest Virginia Counselors Association Spring Forum: Ethical Trauma Stewardship - 1 hour

February 2025: Southwest Virginia Counselors Association Spring Forum: The Varied Options for Trauma Intervention - 1 hour

February 2025: Southwest Virginia Counselors Association Spring Forum: Counselor Resilience During Ordinary and Extraordinary Times - 1 hour

December 2024: Ethical & Legal Issues: Updates on Virginia Laws & Regulations - 1 hour

November 2024: EMDR Therapy for Borderline Personality Disorder - 12 hours - EMDRIA Approved

November 2024: Understanding and Treating Narcissism with EMDR - 6 hours - EMDRIA Approved

October 2024: Psychedelic Integration Therapy and EMDR - 4 hours - EMDRIA Approved

October 2024: Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy - 5 hours

June 2024: Eye on Ethics: General Ethical Guidelines for Excellent Practice - 3 hours

June 2024: Emotional Abusive Behaviors and A Closer Look at Gaslighting: Clinical Tools to Break the Cycle of Manipulation and Regain Personal Power - 2.75 hours

June 2024: Narcissistic and Psychopathic Abuse: The Clinician's Guide to the New Field of Traumatic Pathological Love Relationships - 6.25 hours 

December 2023: Treating Adult Clients of Emotionally Immature Parents: How Your Clients Can Reclaim their Lives from the Toxic Legacy of Controlling, Rejecting, or Self-Involved Parents - 6.25 hours

August 2023: Help, Hope, Healing 2023 Conference - 5 hours 

June 2023: Ethics and Boundary Issues - 5 hours

June 2023: Confidentiality: The HIPAA Privacy Rule and 42 CFR Part 2 - 3 hours

June 2023: Burnout and Wellness in Social Workers, Psychologists, and Counselors - 4 hours 

December 2022: Time to Freshen Up: A Review of the EMDR Standard Protocol - 4.5 hours - EMDRIA Approved

December 2022: Nuts & Bolts of Organizing and Sustaining a Disaster Response Team - 3 hours - EMDRIA Approved

December 2022: EMDR Early Interventions Panel - 1.5 hours - EMDRIA Approved

December 2022: We Are Interconnected: Living into the Wholeness of Life - 1.5 hours - EMDRIA Approved

June 2021: Integrated Treatment of Chronic Pain and Chronic Health Conditions - 3 hours - EMDRIA Approved

May 2021: The Tao of Direction - 1 hour 

March 2021: How Trauma Impacts an Employee's Ability to Return to Work - 1 hour

November 2020: Making the Case: Framing for Tobacco-Free Behavioral Health Settings - 1 hour

October 2020: Virginia Neonatal Perinatal Collaborative 4th Annual Conference - 3 hours

August 2020: Creating and Enhancing Tobacco-Free Facilities and Treatment Services - 4.75 hours

August 2020: Navigating the Ethics of Dual Relationships for Clinicians - 2 hours

August 2020: Legal and Ethical Standards of Care in Behavioral Health - 2 hours

August 2020: Ethical and Legal Guidelines for Telehealth - 1 hour

July 2020: EMDR and Addiction: Essentials Skills Beyond Basic Training - 6 hours 

May 2020: Utilization of EMDR with Police and First Responders - 6 hours

October 2019: Virginia Neonatal Perinatal Collaborative 3rd Annual Conference - 4.25 hours

October 2019: VCU Project ECHO - Opioid Treatment - Live Attendance - 2 hours

July 2019: SBIRT for Pregnant and Parenting Women - Train the Trainers - 6 hours

June 2019: Nurturing Parenting Programs Foundational Training - 19 hours

June 2019: Ethics and Culture in Mental Health Care - 1.5 hour

May 2019: VCU Project ECHO -  Opioid Treatment - Live Attendance - 2 hours

February 2019: VCU Project ECHO - Opioid Treatment - Live Attendance - 2 hours

March 2019: Peer Recovery Specialist Supervisor Training - 7.5 hours

January 2019: Ethics in Addictions Services - 1.5 hours

December 2018: Motivational Interviewing - 7 hours

October 2018: Ethics in the CSB - 1.5 hours

September 2018: DLA-20 Training - 7 hours

September 2018: Emotion Focused Family Therapy - 3 hours

September 2018: Clinical Supervision Summit Training - 2 hours

June 2018: EMDR Therapy with Complex Trauma and Dissociative Personality Structure - 12 hours - EMDRIA Approved​

May 2018: Ethics and Boundaries 2018 - 3 hours

November 2017: Opioid Addiction: Prevention, Treatment, and Aftercare for Young Adults - 6 hours

May 2017: Ethics and Social Networking and Ethical Action - 5 hours

January 2017: Clinical Supervision: Models, Role, Legal, & Ethical, Cultural Competency & Transference - 20 hours

December 2016: Master Clinician Series: The Adverse Childhood Experiences Study - 1 hour

December 2016: Building Trust, Love, and Loyalty in Relationships - 1.75 hours

December 2016: The Body Keeps the Score - 1 hour

November 2016: Mindfulness: Creating the Culture of Belonging Training - 7.5 hours

August 2016: Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Part 2 - 20 hours

July 2016: Trauma Informed Care Train the Trainer

May 2016: Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Part 1 - 20 hours