Melinda Willison is a not only a National Certified Counselor and North Carolina Licensed Clinical Counselor Associate, she is a licensed educator of 24+ years. She also specializes in nature based experiences and has a background in corporate event planning. All of these allow Melinda to provide individualized and experiential care plans to help support you, your family, and your organization to live life more fully.
The ocean, like life, is vast, however when upwelling occurs it shifts the surface level to bring up life-sustaining nutrients to allowing more living things to thrive. Applying this concept to therapy, we'll create a current that shifts the surface to get to the deeper things that allow for healing and restoration so that you can not just survive the day to day, but thrive with newfound strength and encouragement to launch into your best season!
Melinda has vast training and experiences which allows integration of techniques, modalities, interventions, and strategies from a variety of research-based theories. This has opened up opportunities to serve the needs of minors, address the layered complications of complex grief, and support the emotional distress and life changes that come with an acute, chronic, and even fatal medical diagnoses for the individual and family members or loved ones.
At Upwelling, we understand that life can be challenging and that there are issues and personal dynamics that are vital to you and for our community. As a result, we want to serve as advocates within the mental health care field, as well as partner with you to make a difference in the ways that matter most.
Some of the specialized support we are already serving as advocates and specialists include:
Culturally Diverse & Spiritually Sensitive Counseling
Recognizing that race, ethnicity, cultural practices and religious beliefs impact our lives in so many ways, we ask for open and honest conversations and information so we can best serve you where you are now, and what you are facing, have faced, and are expecting to face.
Your lead counselor can provide strategies and approaches that address and incorporate the perspective and needs of your personal dynamics, recognizing that the experiences and needs of each ONE is both different and personal. In addition to past training, Upwelling's owner remains active with the American Counseling Association and it's subsidiaries- The Association of Multicultural Counseling & Development, along with The Association for Spiritual, Ethical, & Religious Values In Counseling.
For those seeking an emphasis on Christian-based perspectives she also holds training in apologetics and a master's of ministry in Biblical Studies.
Complicated Grief
Grief comes with so much misunderstanding and causes confusion, which is why it can quickly become debilitating and overwhelming. First of all, it has stages which have no set sequence or time frame. Secondly, it is not a single emotion, rather it is a bundle of emotions that ebb and flow seemingly without rhyme or reason. Lastly, grief is not just something that comes with a death. It can present with any single loss, and the losses associated with that one loss, and even link up with unrelated losses.
We have good news, there is a path to navigating it, and there is relief and respite on that path.
Our expertise allow us to support you, whether it's a life change (job, relationship, relocation),
a health crisis of yourself or a loved one, or if the loss is due to a death of someone beloved.
Eco-Therapy
The natural world around us provides the fresh air and sensory grounding we need in the midst of busy days and digitally-rich lifestyles. While a good hike in the mountains or long walk on a beach can go far to guiding recovery and restoration of emotional depletion, intellectual toll, and spiritual frustrations, there are also simpler ways we can connect and ground in our day-to-day lives.
Upwelling's lead therapist utilizes these strategies in individual therapy, group therapy, and provides customized psycho-education sessions and organizational programs for local sites and retreat centers.
Addressing Sexual Identity Crises, Sexual Abuse and Trauma, & Exploitation and Trafficking
Sexuality is a natural and necessary aspect of our being, and directly linked to our well-being.
We provide trauma based CBT and Personalized therapeutic approaches for those who have experienced sexual trauma and are seeking to process the trauma, build healthy coping strategies, and establish empowering lifestyle habits moving forward.
Moreover, Upwelling serves to advocate for anti-trafficking education and programs, as well as support organizations that focus on both rescue and rehabilitation of those that have been trafficked and exploited both locally, and internationally. Upwelling provides individual counseling and group programming for individuals and organizations, as well as serves as boots on the ground with outreach programs and services. We are passionate to promote healthy sexuality and healing beyond sexual trauma.
Rachel Carson
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