Melissa Watts (She/her)

Foster Care can be challenging, whether you are a child/teen in foster care, a foster parent, or a biological parent navigating the system. I am here to assist you in exploring the challenges that come with being involved with the foster care system. I will work with you to create treatment plan goals and utilize therapeutic interventions that will help alleviate symptoms related to the stress of the foster care system.

Given the current state of the world, it comes to no surprise that anxiety is one of the most often diagnosed mental health disorders within the United States. Anxiety can feel overwhelming and often impacts our daily living and functioning. Although there are many schools of thought as to how to best treat anxiety, I focus treatment on client-therapist relationship, goal-setting, and mindfulness.

Self-harm can be a way people choose to deal with difficult feelings such as grief, disappointment, anger, frustration, guilt, etc. when they feel there are no other options. If you or your loved ones struggle with self-harm, please know there are treatment options available. Together, we can make a plan for ways to stay safe and utilize other coping strategies when feelings become difficult to handle.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (commonly known as CBT) is one of the most popular forms of treatment for various mental health disorders and for good reason! CBT was formulated on the idea that our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are all connected. With this in mind, in our therapy sessions, we will explore how your own thoughts and feelings impact your behaviors and what changes you would like to see in any of these areas within your own life.

Dialectical Behavior Therapy is utilized with a variety of mental health conditions, but is most helpful when working with clients who experience self-harm tendencies and anxiety. Components of DBT include mindfulness, distress tolerance, interpersonal effectiveness, and emotional regulation. In our sessions, we would focus on these concepts and determine appropriate ways to utilize them in your mental health treatment.

Solution-Focused Brief Therapy is a short-term therapy which focuses on setting and achieving goals and focusing on solutions, rather than the "why/how" the problem originated. This theory utilizes an intervention called "The Miracle Question" which may help you change your mindset and feel a greater sense of happiness and acceptance in your life circumstances.