Melissa Forrest Garcia, M.A., Marriage & Family Therapist Intern

Specialties

I am a MFT Intern providing body-​centered and integrative psychotherapy to adults, couples, and children. I incorporate exploring the body, mind, heart and soul as key parts of a whole human experience. I actively engage my clients in their own process of behavioral change and provide skills and techniques that help clients anchor lasting change outside of the therapy room.

I specialize in helping clients overcome chronic pain, stress & anxiety, panic, depression, child and adult trauma, low self-​esteem and navigating relationship challenges. We may address embodied issues like creating healthy boundaries, recognizing the signs of overwhelm, forming healthy coping strategies that address impulsive and reactive behaviors, overcoming limiting core beliefs that live through your body and shape your life.

I have extensive training working with trauma survivors and co-​developed a method to overcome the physiological symptoms imprinted in the body memory.

History

Established in 2012.

I sought out my current supervisor/​employer to deepen my knowledge of Sandplay Therapy and Child Therapy.

I offer Sandplay Therapy, an experiential form of counseling that allows the individual to participate in a non-​verbal creative process. By building scenes with miniature figures in a sandtray, the individual is able to bridge their inner and outer worlds and create an active expression for the implicitly held body memories and the unspeakable or the un-​nameable inner emotional experiences that often have roots in early development. Sandplay Therapy is useful for treating trauma at all ages as well as providing a creative or «play» medium to integrate the emotional brain via the symbolic process.

Meet the Manager

Melissa F.

Manager

I am a private practice MFT intern employed and supervised by Tessamarie Capitolo, MFT. I feel deeply honored to work with individuals doing this most intimate and transformative inner work. My personal healing journey led me to take a special interest in working with individuals to overcome the painful symptoms of trauma.

I received a MA Degree in Counseling Psychology, specializing in somatic or body-​centered psychotherapy, from California Institute of Integral Studies.

My professional background includes:

–3 years of somatic psychotherapeutic training at the Center for Somatic Psychotherapy

–3 years as a Sandplay Therapy intern working with children and families through Sherman Elementary School

–Trauma Group facilitation at Options Recovery Services, Berkeley, CA

— 2 year training in Sandplay Therapy & Depth Psychotherapy through Northern California Regional Sandplay Society, 2012-​current.