Melanie Canastra

A story that always gets a good laugh is that I actually endeavored to not be a mental health counselor since studying psychology! I know - that's a bold (maybe a bit weird!) statement to name. Though, I took this kind of work seriously where I knew the genuine capacity and complexities that it would take to become a psychotherapist. Once I challenged myself and gave myself sincere permission to explore this path for the compassion that I knew that it had, I found myself in pursuit of a career that became so worth it! Since becoming a therapist, I've worked with higher education students, adults within QTBIPOC populations. In particular, helping these folx find healing and authentic connections within their expanding lives.

My passion truly lies with helping folx heal from generational trauma. In particular, cultural offsets from first-and-second generational trauma and C-PTSD. I pursue many trainings that center and focus on internal family systems, emotion regulation systems that can contribute to you living a fuller and more authentic life in moving forward from the past. I'm also mindful of attending trainings that intersectional, inclusive, and multi-dimensional by nature (i.e. culturally competent, LGBTQ+ affirmative, anti-oppressive). I also find myself drawn towards topics that include building stronger relationships with yourself and with your respective communities! I consider myself to be a relational therapist and will often bring our sessions back into our therapeutic relationship together to foster your trust and growth.

I always like to start with a 15-minute phone consultation where you could gain a feel of my therapeutic approach and check in on whether or not we would be a good fit! Our first session will be about getting to know you. Not just any sense of stressors or presenting issues, but also about your life, your relationships, or any presences of joy that you are finding for yourself. Progress is such a subjective experience that I will always take the time to explore with you throughout our sessions together. You may find that your relationship to the world is changing or that you're finding yourself becoming more self-intuitive/aware about the communities that you're apart of at that time. Acknowledging your own change is always a good start!