Melinda A. Cooper, MA, LPC, CCTP

NEW PROVIDERS...More Availability! Silver Falls Trauma Recovery is welcoming two new providers! Elaina Brown Echo-Hawk, MA Professional Counseling Associate and Leah Johnson, MA, Professional Counseling Associate. Both are recent graduates of Liberty University and offer the benefit of the most up-to-date practices with fresh energy. They are professionally clinically supervised by a skilled licensed therapist and have adopted our vision! THERAPEUTIC APPROACH My approach to counseling is empathic and relational, trauma-informed and goal-oriented. Therapy is proven to be most effective when an empathic relationship is established. My passion for counseling is developing this sort of relationship. I encourage clients to be as open and honest as they are able, offering a safe and private environment to cultivate authenticity. Especially in times of crisis, it is important for therapy to uncover skills clients can use quickly. Session time may be spent developing a set of strategies the client may use to cope with difficult symptoms or circumstances. Sessions may also be less prescriptive, with ample space to process one’s story. I embrace clients as they explore the deep areas of trauma, shame and damaged or under-developed self-concept. My work is informed by Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Attachment theory, and Interpersonal Neurobiology. I also integrate elements of Narrative Therapy, Exposure Response Prevention, Prolonged Exposure Therapy, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, and many others. Elaina and Leah have learned the basics of all major approaches and lean into ACT and Narrative therapy. SPECIALTIES AND AREAS OF PRACTICE I am currently pursuing certification in Personality Theory, using a deep understanding of Myers-Briggs' cognitive functions to profile clients to determining their best-fit types. This opens wide the understanding of one's unique wiring...revealing the programming responsible for how they perceive/learn and make decisions. One's story can be explored through a much deeper and specific context informing how to heal, move forward and discover a life that brings joy and satisfaction. I am also a Certified Clinical Trauma Professional and engage ongoing training to support trauma recovery. Finally I, have focused a significant amount of training in the area of Eating Disorders. A large percentage of my clients have been treated for one or both of these concerns. Focus areas are not meant to imply that I am a specialist. While I am committed to ongoing learning, I will never suggest I know the full extent or etiology of mental health challenges, that my knowledge is complete, or that I have certain industry-related degrees in these fields.