get to know more about Melody

Why did you become a therapist?

I believe becoming a therapist was always a part of my calling. It just took me many years of trial and error and growth before I was finally ready to embrace what I had known since the 6th grade. Deciding to go back to school meant making a huge life transition from full-time corporate job and business owner to being a full-time graduate student. While it was super scary and a huge shift in my life, it was the best decision I ever made. I truly believe that when you follow what’s within you, doors open and life becomes that much more satisfying and fulfilling. I know in my heart that I am doing the work I am meant to do.

What do you enjoy most about your work with clients

I love being a witness to deep healing . . . heart healing . . .soul healing. Clients come in with so much pain and suffering. And somewhere they got the message it is all their fault. I work with clients to heal these wounds that keep them stuck and constantly judging and putting themselves down. One of the greatest gifts is hearing the moments when clients are able to speak their real truths, begin to put themselves first, and know in their heart and feel in their body that they deserve to be happy.

In your opinion, how does healing happen?

I believe the foundation of true healing happens from building self-awareness, self-compassion, and self-acceptance. When we remained blocked and inflexible, whether in our thought patterns, our habits, with our emotions, in relationships, or in our body or spirit, we stifle a natural flow and essence. When parts of us remain blocked or inhibited for too long, it starts to impact different aspects of our lives and bodies. Our health, our spirit and energy, our relationships, and even the way that we cope (sex, drugs, alcohol, coffee, insomnia, unhealthy relationships, emotional eating, binge watching TV, etc.) starts to get impacted as a way to deal with the parts of us that are stuck.

To me, healing happens when we start to bring awareness to these patterns that keep us so rigid, and with the help of somatic therapy, you can begin to experience new ways of being, which means new opportunities and possibilities open up to you.

How would you describe The way you work to clients?

I consider myself to be a very experiential therapist. What that means for my work with clients is that rather than simply talking about problems and challenges, we have the opportunity to explore and learn through other avenues. For example, we may utilize expressive arts, guided meditation, movement, mindfulness, or even play during session. These explorations allow for deeper understanding and even healing.

As a somatic therapist, I utilize the body in my work with clients. Clients often find this experience alone as profound since connecting with our bodies is so foreign to us. There is so much information that is held and stored in our bodies that by just bringing awareness to it can be eye-opening.

I also incorporate mindfulness in my work with clients. Mindfulness is a great way to connect with the present-moment, which allows us to really explore patterns of behavior in a gentle way. Often, clients leave a mindfulness-based session feeling inspired and carry this feeling with them into their daily life. These sessions can be really powerful.

How do you help clients who feel anxious or depressed?

I work with clients who struggle with various forms of anxiety and depression in many ways. However, I do believe somatic therapy is so important when it comes to managing anxiety and depression. It’s important to remember that when we talk about anxiety and depression, we are really just using words that were created by professionals to describe the symptoms that get expressed and felt in our body, our mind, and in our experiences.

By incorporating body-based tools like building awareness of the specific signs and symptoms you experience is a great start to working with anxiety and depression. From there we may experiment with finding different resources and even physical tools to help you begin to manage your specific symptoms.

Somatic therapy is so important because when we leave out the impacts of our physical body, we often miss out on so much information and potential for real relief and healing.

How does culture and your background influence your work?

I believe my background and culture allows me to see the beauties in different lived experiences. When I work with clients I come from a place of curiosity, openness, and gratitude. As a therapist I do not believe my role is to change my clients. Instead, I get to know them in their most honest and truthful ways of being. I get to truly see them in all of their vulnerability, their hurts, their frustrations and disappointments, their wounds, and I also get to witness their inherent beauty.

As a mixed-race, Black and Japanese womxn, I know what it feels like to not know where you truly belong. I know what it means to be disconnected from your culture, to question who you are and the struggle to find your place and community. It is from my own experiences that I am able to help clients struggling with various forms of identity, dealing with microaggressions, and those longing for community and deeper connections.

Interested in working with Melody?