*Located in Hampton and Virtually*

Melina (she/her) earned her M.Ed. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from The College of William & Mary. Here at PCFS, she serves as a Resident in Counseling under the supervision of our very own Whitley Richards, LPC. She received her B.A. in psychology at Christopher Newport University, where she also studied Spanish language and sociology. Less than a year later at W&M, she became the pioneer clinician in the Pathways to Hope Initiative between the W&M FCE Clinic and the law school's Immigration Clinic, where she provided bilingual counseling to Hispanic immigrants.

Melina is excited to work with a large age range of clients on a multitude of concerns. Most of her experience has been with adolescents and adults, though she also enjoys working with families and groups. She is passionate about working with anxiety, depression, life transitions, general life stress, and trauma history. Her primary theoretical orientations are Person-centered Therapy and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. Melina is present- and future-focused, using your personal characteristics to collaboratively develop goals and solutions that are made for you.

In her free time, she loves to explore nature, spend time with loved ones, and play with her pets. She has lived in various parts of Virginia and loves to experience nearby areas and attractions.

Multicultural awareness and competency is an important principle of her work. Melina provides therapy services in English and Spanish, as needed by client (Melina provee servicios de terapia en inglés y español, según las necesidades del cliente).