“Melissa is a warm, compassionate, engaging clinician. Her calming presence is inviting to people of all ages and backgrounds. She has exemplary character and places a strong value on the dignity and worth of every individual. Melissa is particularly skilled in performing comprehensive assessments, formulations and treatment plans. Her knowledge of the needs of diverse populations has served to enable her to appropriately provide the requisite clinical care needed. Additionally, she has a vast knowledge of outreach services and community supports which she successfully utilizes to provide a comprehensive plan of support for staff and families. Most impressive is Melissa’s ability to enhance relationships with staff and families while keeping boundaries protected. As she has serviced a wide range in both populations, I have observed her to relate successfully to all ages of people with a wide range of cultural backgrounds. Her sensitivity to and respect for all individuals, coupled with her vast knowledge of cultural differences have helped her be successful with them all. She has serviced our multicultural environment with professionalism and resourcefulness. Melissa has successfully navigated this very intense setting, offering comfort and support and devising appropriate treatment plans.”
- A Licensed Clinical Social Worker of 30+ years

“Melissa has been a blessing to our family. She is competent, caring and patient.”
– The mother of a 5 year old female with a trauma history

“I can’t thank you enough for the difference you have made in our life. Your skilled care, love, kindness, laughter, encouragement and support meant the world to both of us. You are a treasure and I appreciate everything you did for both of us.”
– The partner of a former young adult patient who passed away of chronic illness

“Thank you for playing such a big part in bringing “hope” to my family and me this year. I pray this can serve as a reminder of the beauty that comes from “hope” and the importance of each other.”
– The mother of a 4 year old male with a chronic medical condition

“We were fortunate enough to find Melissa at the perfect time in our lives. Our 8 year old daughter was suffering from severe anxiety which was hindering her ability to maintain friendships and succeed in school. We had tried everything short of pulling her out of school when someone recommended Melissa to us. Melissa was open, accessible and informative. Not only did she provide our daughter with skilled and compassionate care but she provided me and my wife with education and support better equipping us to parent Jenna. She kept us involved throughout the therapeutic process and engaged our participation in Jenna’s care. She is now thriving and we have Melissa to thank. We would highly recommend her to any of our family or friends.”
– The father of an 8 year old female with anxiety

“My son was dealing with a lot of changes when we brought him to Melissa. Divorcing parents, new school, new apartment, and new life. He was acting out at school and we were being called to pick him up from school on a weekly basis. Working with Melissa has brought some stability to his life and provided him with a safe and playful environment to express how he is feeling. Additionally it has helped me and his father to better parent him collaboratively. She has given us the space to explore our differing parenting styles and the skills we need to communicate with each other for his benefit. For this we are grateful”
– The mother of a 10 year old male

“In addition to the varied roles Melissa has successfully performed, she has functioned in a supervisory role, acting as supervisor to Social Work interns. Children’s Hospital Boston offers a comprehensive training ground for perspective Social Workers, and Melissa has provided the requisite education, role modeling and insight to successfully train several interns. Additionally, she has provided on-going supervision to 5 staff and 6 interns in two locations, one of which exclusively services multicultural/multiracial families of all ages, spanning a wide range of age groups from teens to teen mothers to young adolescents to aged matriarchal family members. She has provided extraordinary support and clinical review.”
- A clinical social worker

“I have been very fortunate to have had the opportunity to be supervised by Melissa. She is a supportive supervisor, always providing the most comprehensive and thoughtful clinical supervision and encouragement. She is a role model and teacher, someone who I was able to look up to, look to for guidance and learn a wealth of information from. As a supervisor she led me to make the most effective and ethical practice decisions through our mindful and thought provoking conversations during supervision. In addition, she utilized my strengths along with her professional knowledge, guidance and support to help me learn and grow as a Clinical Social Worker. She shows a great deal of commitment and passion to the work that she does and to the Social Work profession, which shines through all that she does. Overall, Melissa is an outstanding supervisor and my rich experience working with her has been beneficial for me professionally and personally.”
– Former 2nd year MSW student

“Fabulous! Melissa was a dynamic presenter who is clearly extremely passionate about the work she does and the children she treats. The information was presented in a clear and concise manner and I left feeling energized and excited to put my new tools to work come Monday. Thank you!”

“The techniques I learned in today’s workshop will aid me greatly in the work that I do with children who have been exposed to domestic violence. Melissa provided me with concrete ideas and interventions that will be easy to implement.”

“As a school teacher I am often presented with challenging behaviors however I never looked at them from the perspective Melissa highlighted today. I intend to go back to my classroom with the desire to figure out what the emotions are behind the behaviors.”