Melissa Garner has been helping women heal, grow, and thrive since 2010.  She earned her Masters Degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and Psychology in 2011, became independently licensed as a mental health counselor in 2013, and in 2016, earned her yoga teacher certification.  During her early years as a counselor, Melissa had the honor of working with a wide range of populations and issues. By 2015, she realized her greatest passion and strengths were in supporting and empowering women. She opened her private practice - Self Haven - with a mission to promote self-care, wellness, and support for women struggling with depression, anxiety, burn-out, or trauma.  In more recent years, she also has also developed a specialty in treating specific anxiety disorders including OCD, Phobias, Social Anxiety, and Body Focused Repetitive Behaviors (i.e. skin picking, hair pulling, nail biting, etc.)  

Melissa’s hope is to help women develop healthier relationships with their minds and bodies. Her approach offers a warm, personalized, and compassionate focus on topics that are vital to one’s well-being and personal relationships.  Topics and teachings include a focus on self-care, productive thinking, mindful coping, accountability, non-judgmental self-awareness, physical and emotional regulation, healthy boundaries, assertiveness, conflict management, and overall wellness.  Melissa’s hope is to equip her clients with the tools and confidence needed to improve functioning and quality of life.  

Personal Statement:

Thanks for visiting! My passion is to support and empower women recovering from anxiety, depression, trauma, and burn-out. I believe in my clients and am honored to hold space for them. My first priority is to create a safe space where you feel heard. When you are ready, we will objectively explore the issues, identify goals and recommendations, and establish a practical plan for progress at your pace.

As a highly engaged therapist, I often use my virtual whiteboard to visually introduce important concepts, share resources, teach coping skills, and facilitate exercises. Catering to each client’s individual needs, learning style, and preferences, I also offer supportive services including guided relaxation and breathing techniques, art therapy, and optional homework challenges.

The foundation of my practice is built on non-jugmental reflection and solution-focused resiliency. My integrative therapeutic approach includes a combination of client-focused, tailored guidance, creative interventions, as well as DBT, CBT, and ACT.

Typical populations I serve:

• women struggling with chronic stress, burn-out, and finding a work/life balance, caregivers

• women struggling with depression, shifting moods, or lacking a sense of direction, identity, purpose, or self-esteem,

• women suffering from anxiety, including OCD, intrusive thoughts, phobias, social anxiety, BFRBs, panic, and chronic worry

• women in trauma-exposed careers, i.e. first responders, nurses, counselors, healthcare workers, social work, military, law enforcement

• women in or recovering from emotionally, physically, and/or sexually abusive relationships, including childhood trauma

• women adjusting to major life changes, i.e. launching into adulthood, birth, loss, marriage, divorce, moving, diagnoses, empty nest

I'm here to listen, support, and work alongside you to process challenges, improve coping, prioritize self care, and cultivate healthy relationships, including the one you have with yourself.

It takes courage and committment to step out of your comfort zone. You are not alone!

Interested in working with Melissa? Click HERE to learn more about next steps.