Melissa Costa-Ryan is a Registered Social Worker through the Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Services Workers, who has experience working with individuals, families, groups, and couples. Melissa has been in the Social Work field for 13 years. 

Melissa has been providing therapy in areas of mental health, specializing in trauma processing, anxiety, depression, PTSD, self-esteem & self-worth and helping individuals who have experienced domestic violence and sexual assault. She also assists youth with special needs and individuals with FASD. Melissa has substantial experience working with diverse populations such as the LGBTQ2S+ community, and Indigenous communities specifically First Nation, Inuit, and Metis populations. She has also spent many years working within the Child Welfare Sector in a variety of capacities and more specifically serving indigenous families through the process of the Child Welfare System. 

Melissa focuses on a client-centred practice but recognizes at times it takes a community to assist individuals, couples, and families in their time of need. She works from a holistic approach focusing on the spiritual, mental, emotional, and physical aspects of her clients. Melissa walks side by side with her clients and provides them with a safe non-judgemental space for them to process their experiences, feelings, and emotions. Throughout her life, she always believed that learning about the similarities and differences of other people and other cultures is vital in forming therapeutic relationships with the people she serves. 

Melissa uses multiple approaches and therapies including Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Cognitive Processing Therapy( CPT), Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing Therapy (EMDR) and talk therapy.

 Prior to joining CarePoint Health, Melissa worked at The Family Enhancement Centre, Hope 24/7 and a few Child Welfare organizations.