A therapist who specializes in empowering women!

Malissa’s career as a therapist started during her first practicum (clinical internship), counseling women who experienced Intimate Partner Violence in 2006. Her first full-time position as a therapist was at The YWCA in Tacoma, Washington helping women rebuild their lives and heal from the impacts of relationship abuse. During this time, she discovered her talent and passion for helping clients heal from trauma while leading them to develop their own personal empowerment. Later she worked as a therapist at the Department of Veteran Affairs, providing evidence-based therapies and trauma-focused therapy to Combat Veterans and Veterans who experienced Military Sexual Assault. 

The nature of her work, along with specialized training, has led Malissa to develop an in-depth understanding of the nuances that anxiety, psychological trauma, and grief have on a woman's day-to-day life. 

She uses the Social Work perspective of Person-in-environment, which means considering how a person's environment, life experiences, and societal systems impact their well-being and behavior. When needed, Malissa helps her clients understand how systemic oppression and sexism add to their distress and teaches strategies to handle these difficulties better. 

The therapeutic approaches she uses are evidenced-based, which means they have been studied and researched, and shown to be effective.

In addition to providing individual therapy (just the client and therapist), Malissa is an experienced group therapist and workshop facilitator. Throughout her career, she’s developed and led several therapy groups and women's empowerment workshops.

Throughout her career, she has trained mental health professionals, healthcare professionals, and Intimate Partner Violence victim advocates on the dynamics of Intimate Partner Violence. Most recently, she developed and facilitated a three-hour workshop for the National Association of Social Workers Washington State Chapter on the impacts of Intimate Partner Violence and effective therapeutic techniques.  Malissa is an experienced and engaging public speaker who has spoken at fundraising events for non-profits, professional summits, and professional trainings.

Credentials: 

• Licensed Clinical Social Worker in California  
• Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker in Washington State
• Board Certified Diplomat from the Board of Clinical Social Work
• Certified Telemental Health provider 
• Certified in Clinical Anxiety Treatment
• Clinical Supervisor for professional Social Workers seeking licensure 

Clinical Training:

• Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) 
• Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) 
• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
• Mindfulness
• Solution Focused Therapy 
• Existential Psychotherapy 
• Dynamics of Interpersonal Violence (relationship abuse)

Education:

• Post Graduate Certificate in the Assessment & Treatment of Psychological Trauma from the University of Washington
• Master of Social Work from the University of Washington 
• Bachelor of Social Welfare from the University of Washington