Dr. Melissa Zavala

Much of my passion in the field is in the treatment of perinatal women, postpartum symptoms, and women’s issues. Whether it be infertility, pregnancy loss, difficulty throughout pregnancy, or trauma before, during or after—your story matters. Seeking therapy can help advocate your needs while you navigate life in this new role.

My passion in caring and advocating for women is equally complimented by my commitment to children 0- 5 years old as well as school-aged children. When treating birth to five years old I like to utilize the evidence based practice Child Parent Psychotherapy (CPP), and other interventions to help aid in attachment, biofeedback, and other stressors. Children are often resilient, however their emotional needs matter just as much as an adult. My role is to help put their behaviors, often triggered by trauma and life changes, into words by utilizing play interventions. In doing so, I help build a safe bridge between child and parent in addition to aiding in building a confident sense of self.

As a multicultural clinical psychologist, I emphasize taking a collaborative approach with each individual. In session, I construct a unique treatment plan by assessing your sense of self and impacts to your environment, familial relationships, cultural identity and community. In time, we learn to build a trusting relationship. In this psychodynamic approach I integrate various theoretical interventions that are best tailored to the individual. Although difficult, together, we filter through complicated feelings and behaviors that make it challenging to heal the different fragments of our lives. Perhaps these heightened emotions are due to past or current trauma, feelings of insecurities, attachment irregularities, emotional fragilities due to life stressors, and other life altering experiences. In this process, you are not alone, as I believe it is the job of the therapist to keep you grounded as you navigate through these experiences. In the therapeutic process I help you sift through transgenerational and cross-cultural considerations to help clarify your needs. Often, this may present itself with interventions that may make you feel uncomfortable.

However, by sitting in the now, putting your behaviors and thoughts into words, developing your story, and drawing attention to how your past and present play a vital role in identifying change for the future. Together we integrate parts of the self into the therapeutic process, and we end by healing the whole person. Regardless of the ‘season’, in adolescence or adulthood, therapy sessions are created in a safe space allowing you to explore what is needed to treat not just parts of you, but all of you. In my experience, whether it be life transitions, past or current trauma, acclimating to a new community such as military life, or overall seeking treatment to strengthen who you are as an individual, it can be difficult to navigate. I am here as a beacon to help you inspire, reflect, develop, grow and transform to the person you want to become. It is through an array of evidence based practices, and the relationship built between client and therapist, that we begin our journey in session.

I completed my undergraduate at the University of California, Riverside, and further completed my Doctorate Degree in Clinical Psychology with an emphasis in multicultural and community at the California School of Professional Psychology, Alliant International University – Los Angeles Campus in 2012. Over the years I have specialized in treating women and children in trauma and attachment issues, and have implemented various treatment models to help with PTSD, depression, anxiety, life stressors, military family life, adoption, and parenting lessons. As a licensed psychologist I offer sessions in English and Spanish. As a bilingual Spanish speaking clinician, I work with California Lawyers working through immigration trauma surrounding deportation, childhood trauma, and hardships. In doing so, I offer immigration evaluations for hardship, competency, U visas, T visas, and VAWA. More times than not, these evaluations are not covered under insurances, however my prices are geared toward understanding the financial difficulty during today’s time.