My name is Dr. Melissa Valentina and I’m very glad you’ve stopped by.

This is my story.

In my childhood, I experienced loss that made my teenage years feel confusing and foggy. I wasn’t sure how to handle the loss or the grief I felt and I wasn’t sure where to turn. No hospice or therapy were available to me. 
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As an adult, I sought therapy after more loss and it helped me to move through the experiences and grow from them. The loss of my dog showed me how close we can be to our pets. For many people, your pet is a confidante that knows you better than anyone else. 

Choosing how to honor yourself in hard or painful decisions is a life-altering experience. It’s one I navigated in my adult life several times and when my marriage ended, was a pivotal one. Divorce was a difficult decision for me. This event moved me to recreate myself. 

I am eternally grateful for the therapist who helped me heal from these life events. Gaining a new perspective on what’s happened to me has changed my life for the better. It inspired my desire to help others with their challenges.
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People say I am easy-going, committed to the process and to helping them heal.  
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My interest in mental health began in a psychology class in high school. I have been fascinated with the never-ending possibilities of people, and  I have worked in the mental health field since 2005. I’ve held a myriad of roles and  had a variety of life experiences that add to my personal wisdom and therapeutic knowledge.

​I’m a Florida native but have spent time globetrotting through both my personal travels and my time in the U.S. Air Force. Being a veteran myself, I am dedicated to working with veterans on their life transitions. 

​I have lived in Greece and treasure the spiritual healing practices I was lucky to learn from in Brazil. Those experiences reinforced my understanding of emotional states and how they impact us all, individually and collectively. It was during my time in Brazil that I realized how each one of us affects and is affected by others in our circle of family, friends, and colleagues. 

More recently, the Coronavirus/COVID-19 pandemic has been a global time of recreating ourselves and the shape of our lives as our world changes. I’ve been feeling those pressures too.

We are, individually and collectively, being asked to adapt to a “new normal” and that feels like a lot.

 Luckily, when our outer world feels chaotic, therapy can help us bring calm to our inner worlds.