Melissa White
Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying)
M.A. Counselling Psychology, B.A.(Hons), OCT
I am a Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying) who works with Complex Trauma (CPTSD), Attachment Trauma, Relational Difficulties, Big Life Transitions, and Self Discovery. I bring specialized training, lived experience, and curiosity to the work we do together.
Are you feeling stuck? Simply coping? In dysfunctional patterns with yourself or others? I believe that therapy requires both processing and integration within the mind, body and behaviours. If you feel ready let's uncover the connections between your past and present, and take notice of what is working and no longer working. I can support you to examine what is possible and to comfortably experience all of your authentic self.
I work with individuals adult and teens (15+). I also work with couples and triads including those living in poly, ENM and open relationships.
In addition to my training and experience as a therapist, I am an Ontario Certified Teacher for Intermediate-Senior grades in English and Visual Arts. I also bring over 20 years experience working with students, staff and faculty at McMaster University.
I completed my graduate studies at Yorkville University, and my undergraduate studies at D'Youville University and McMaster University. I have since gone on to complete trainings such as Certified Complex Trauma Professional (CCTP) with Attachment Focus, Gottman Method Level 1, Introduction to Jungian Sandplay Therapy (CAST), Yoga Teaching Certification and an Indigenous Canada Certificate. I am currently completing CCTP-II (Interventions in EMDR, Parts Work, CPT, and Polyvagal Theory) and a Sound Therapy Certificate (Toronto Sound Therapy).
Just as you may hear in a yoga class that the work "begins off the mat", in therapy the impact is most felt when you are living your day-to-day life and making micro (and macro) changes to elevate your well-being.
It is my honour to support you in your healing work. Let's connect!
Subjects:
Anxiety, Childhood Trauma, Complex Trauma (CPTSD), Attachment Trauma, Intergenerational Trauma, Depression, Co-dependency, Grief, Infidelity, Fertility, Relational Issues, Divorce, Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), Self-Discovery, Big Life Transitions, Midlife Crisis, Burnout, Post-Traumatic Growth
Types of Therapy:
Attachment Focused, Biopsychosocial Spiritual, Existential-Humanistic, Emotion Focused Therapy (EFT), Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (TF-CBT), Gottman Method, Family Systems, Mindfulness Based Cognitive Behaviour (MBCT), Somatic, Polyvagal Theory, Sound Therapy, Psychedelic Integration, Jungian Sandplay Therapy
My Pronouns:
she/her
Beyond my Work:
When I am off the therapy couch you can find me exploring the local Bruce Trails or forest bathing (Shinrin Yoku) at the RBG. I also love playing my sound therapy instruments and exploring their resonance and vibrations, such as the power of the gong! I work and create with my partner who is a musician to create sound baths for groups. Living a creative, mindful life is incredibly important to me.
More about me, and how I work...
I consider myself a creative, as I initially went to university study Fine Arts, and I grew up with a musician. I think the ability to express oneself through means of movement, sound, written or spoken word, and visual arts is incredibly nurturing and healing. Likewise, I have had unique experiences with learning from some of the best yoga instructors such as David Swenson, and Sean Corne, as well as immersing myself in retreats with internationally renowned flow artists. Learning from such creative, open minded, and diverse people over the years has informed my views on intentional living, living with purpose, and the ability to customize our lives to suit our authentic selves.
Biopsychosocial Spiritual Model & Attachment Theory
I believe that the first few years of our lives are imperative to our social development, brain development, and how we formulate our responses to stress. Understanding attachment and attunement in childhood and adulthood can help bring awareness to things like anxiety, BPD, ADHD, or OCD. That said, I also look at psychopathologies as coping strategies that were once adaptive in earlier life, and are now maladaptive.
Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy
Sometimes you may feel overwhelmed with anxious thoughts which impairs your sleep or ability to move forward with a decision. We can introduce strategies to your daily life that relax the physical body, and allow you to make space inside from ruminating thoughts by simply noticing and accepting them without attaching meaning.
Sound Therapy
During our work together I can introduce elements of Sound Therapy in terms of a bottom up approach, as it can be used to self-regulate, co-regulate, and reach calm meditative states through vibrations and low hertz which effect the nervous system and brain with the concept of polyvagal theory and brainwave states.
Jungian Sandplay Therapy
I like to offer bottom up, non-verbal approaches such as Sandplay Therapy to adults. Jungian Sandplay supports both implicit and explicit memory through creating scenes with miniatures in the sand. Through the creation of Sandplay scenes, and the process of completing many trays, the inner work is done on a subconscious level rather than verbally which is helpful because trauma can disrupt both memory and verbal processes.
