BIO

Located in a welcoming office overlooking False Creek and the North Shore mountains, Melina is a Registered Clinical Counsellor and member of the BC Association of Clinical Counsellors. She holds a Master of Arts in Counselling Psychology from Yorkville University, where she focused on trauma, family systems, and cross-cultural counselling. She also holds a Master of Arts and a nearly completed PhD in English from Western University, with research centred on immigration and diasporic literature in Canada through psychoanalytic and cross-cultural perspectives.

She has contributed to numerous writing and editing projects and has been involved in various university and community-based arts and literature organizations. She also volunteers actively within community and educational institutions across Vancouver.

Her recent professional development includes study groups through the WBCPS on early childhood development (2021–2022, 2024) and a seminar series on Basic Psychoanalytic Concepts (2022). She currently participates in a weekly peer supervision group (2021–ongoing), and in 2026 she will begin a year-long infant observation class to deepen her understanding of infant development and the early mother–child relationship.

Melina believes that positive change begins with cultivating an open, curious perspective toward one’s life story. Seeking support is a courageous step toward greater wellbeing, and she is committed to working with you in a safe, secure, and collaborative way.