Melissa Gutierrez (she/they)

I specialize in working with mixed-race clients and clients experiencing issues surrounding privilege. My sessions are a safe space to express doubts, fears, concerns, frustrations, and struggles of what it feels like to live with one foot in one world and another foot in another. How do we straddle multiple cultures and communities? What do we do when we are constantly misjudged or misunderstood by those around us?

Whether you're a seasoned athlete or the idea of a hike makes you want to throw up, the body is our first and foremost home. Our bodies contain all the clues to what we are experiencing and how we are processing (or not processing!) things around us. I focus on nervous system regulation to help clients gain understanding of how they are responding to situations and circumstances in their lives.

I feel strongly that our culture does not make enough space for grief and loss and so I strive to do that in my sessions. My extensive personal and professional experience in death, grief, and bereavement makes me feel oddly comfortable in the face of what some people might consider scary, morbid, or simply too sad. I view grief as a uniting factor that we can find great healing and wholeness when we learn how to hold it and move forward with it, and my work is to help clients do just that.

No person is an island! We are all part of so many different spheres that affect us. I have found that helping clients understand and explore the pressures of cultures and systems around them greatly alleviates anxiety & depression. I look at the ways that clients' families, communities, & societies contribute to their mental health & wellbeing. My additional training in generational trauma helps me help clients trace patterns of trauma and oppression and break cycles in their own lives.

I like to use art as a way to bridge our head, heart, and body in sessions. I believe creativity is a core part of what it means to be human and by tapping into that we access the deepest layers of identity, vulnerability, fear, and desire. I have a broad perspective of what "expressive art" includes, so anything from making TikToks to gardening to oil painting to motorcycle riding to making a spreadsheet -- you name it, we can use it for therapy. My personal favorites lately are VR and tarot!