Individual Services for Children

Melissa’s love of teaching began in 2005 as an English Language Development Teacher for elementary students in Salem-Keizer schools. She then completed a Master of Science degree in Education with a focus on reading in 2011. During her 16 years of teaching, she immersed herself in learning about trauma and its effects on the growing brain, and how this impacts students’ ability to connect, self-regulate, and learn.

Valuing kids’ need for more than just academics, Melissa’s teaching approach infused music, dancing, yoga, and mindfulness practices within the school day. This approach gifted her students with tools to ground, self-reflect, and bring balance to their nervous systems. In 2019, she shifted her professional focus to adults as an Instructional Mentor for beginning teachers. It was at this point she realized how important it was to children’s lives to encourage and empower the adults in their lives with tools to help their young learners thrive.

Melissa is a mama to two young, spirited girls. Both girls have been diagnosed with microcephaly, a condition where their brains are much smaller than average. This makes learning and self-regulation quite challenging but has given Melissa lots of practice with navigating and giving space to the BIG feelings that all children might feel.

Melissa holds a certification as a Trauma-Sensitive Heart Math Practitioner, is the owner of Silver Falls Wellness, and is one of WiseMind’s Silverton-based Educational Service Providers for Children. Fun fact - she’s also pursuing certification in a form of martial arts called Lui He Ba Fan (called water boxing in America).