Art Therapy in Denver, CO

Hello and welcome! My name is Melissa. I've been practicing as a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist & registered Art Therapist since 2015. My goal as your therapist is to support you within a non-judgmental safe space, foster hope and to help you live empowered. Whether you are returning to counseling or it's your first time. Therapy should be a place that leads you down a road towards wellness while discovering your true self. I'll walk alongside you with compassion to support you in strengthening the skills you already have. Currently, I am not accepting any clients at this time.

I am an Board Certified Art Therapist as well as a Licensed Professional Counselor. In art therapy no artistic skill is needed, you just need an openness to the creative process. The road to healing often begins in finding your voice and expressing your inner self. I am passionate about helping individuals and families of all ages struggling with mood disorders, trauma, and addiction. I have additional interest in those from diverse backgrounds, immigrant families, and women’s issues.

I work with deep feeling souls who are dedicated to social change & who struggle with trauma, grief, anxiety & depression. Does this sound familiar? You feel ALL the feels & deeply long for intimacy, yet guard your heart because your vulnerability has been weaponized against you in the past. You feel trapped in quicksand, holding the weight of the world. Emotions feel all-encompassing because the world hurts & you can’t fix it. You are here to fulfill your life’s purpose, yet your voice feels swallowed by the noise. You no longer need to search. You are not alone. You are right where you need to be!

I believe in the power of the creative arts to assist clients in gaining insight and new perspectives to facilitate personal growth and transformation. I am a licensed professional counselor, registered art therapist, and certified anxiety and depression treatment professional. I use a client-centered method working together with clients to build a therapeutic relationship and treatment plan. I have worked with a variety of clients of various experiences, ages, and challenges. My specialty is working with women who are experiencing anxiety, depression, trauma, lowered self-worth, identity issues, boundary and communication issues.

My clients, from teens to elders, identify with the wide and beautiful LGBTQAI spectrum, and their therapy with me is colored by the gifts and hardships of living Queer. Improving relationships, finding stigma-free resources, managing HIV, uncovering sexuality, boosting self-esteem, understanding anxiety and depression, healing past traumas, practicing ‘coming out’, and learning self-care are examples of the work that happens in the therapy room with me. My clients are courageous, honest, and motivated to explore ways to discover their personal power —and then own that power out in the world.

I approach therapy through a relational lens informed by attachment theory, though utilize other modalities like ACT and DBT. Centering personal values and a self-compassion practice, I work to help my clients reconnect to their inner compass and move towards what they truly want. I rely on mindfulness to promote a nonjudgmental inquiry into the negative core beliefs that hold us back. I am trained in FBT and EFFT to support the entire family system necessary for eating disorder recovery. All of that said, YOU are the expert on YOU, and I aim to be a witness to your process, providing nudges and maybe even some laughs along the way.