Welcome to Connecting Families

Welcome to Connecting Families.  My name is Melodie Vella, MSW, RSW, from Orangeville, Ontario. I have 20 years of psychotherapy experience specializing in working with families, children, teenagers, parents, and couples. My passion to help families and children comes from my childhood experience of belonging to a fragmented family.  It is for this reason that I have dedicated my life to bring families together and create healthy bonds, where each family member is accepted for their individual thoughts and feelings.

My practice focuses on family therapy, couples therapy, and individual therapy. In my sessions with clients, I use Emotion Focused Family and Couple counselling (EFFC), Emotionally Focused Couple Counselling (EFCC), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and Dialectic Behavior Therapy (DBT) to help you with your goal of a strong family foundation. These therapy approaches focus on your emotions and help support the healing process through careful reflections of your innermost fears and needs.  

When I’m not at work, I love spending time with my husband and kids. I stay active by walking on nature trails, yoga, and dancing, and planning the next home renovation. I also enjoy a night out with good food or painting with friends.

Why work with me

Family life can be painful and confusing at times. What you’re feeling now is a normal response to all the stresses of managing a family. You can transform your pain into empowerment through courage and vulnerability. You have already taken a bold step to explore my services. Let’s continue to work towards building more authentic relationships with your children and partner. I provide a safe, nonjudgmental, and confidential space to explore your feelings. Together, we will collaborate to find solutions that can help you overcome your fears and guilt and repair your family dynamics. I will maintain a genuine, trusting, and caring relationship with you. During the initial assessment, I will get to know you and your family well and discuss a course of treatment that is most comfortable for all your family members.

My approach

In the formative years of a child’s life, parents are the most valuable change agents in coaching kids to manage their emotions and life transitions. When parents are dealing with their own challenges, children and the family can be negatively impacted. Children may feel like they don’t matter. 

I believe a family crisis can be an opportunity for producing lasting change. With my extensive training in parent-child therapy, family therapy, and family trauma, I can help you build a strong connection in your family, allowing your kids to express and manage a range of intense emotions constructively. You and your family will gain awareness of triggers and the use of family communication strategies. Individual family members will also learn relaxation techniques, mindfulness practices, and grounding strategies to cope with tension and conflicts. You will also learn to look at your negative thoughts and create a more helpful narrative and empower yourself to create the life you want and deserve.

By the end of your therapy journey, you will be more aware of your inner voice and learn how to nurture yourself through self-love and acceptance. Parents will learn to minimize the interference from their past trauma, leading to a more confident and empowered style of parenting. Co-parents will recognize the importance of effective communication and identify empathetic ways of dealing with disagreements.

Areas of treatment

Techniques used

• Emotion-Focused Therapy for Families (EFFT)

• Couples, and Individuals (EFT)

• Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy (EFCT)

• Attachment-based therapies i.e., Parent-child interaction therapy

• Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)

• Trauma-Focused CBT (TF-CBT)

• Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT)

• Mindfulness therapy strategies

• Solution Focused Therapy (SFT)

• Narrative therapy

Education

• Masters in Social Work from University of Toronto

• Honours Bachelor in Psychology at York University

Certifications

• Sue Johnson’s Model Emotionally Focused Therapy: 

• Healing a Traumatized Family

• “Hold Me Tight/Let me go” Teen Family Workshop

• Attachment, Trauma and the Brain workshop

• 4-day Externship in Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy

• 4- 2 day workshops Couples Core Skills Training + 1 day presentations

• Les Greenberg Emotion-Focused Therapy: 

• Emotion-Focused Therapy Level 1 and 2

• Emotion-Focused Family Therapy

• Emotion-Focused Couple Therapy

• Emotion-Focused Therapy for Complex Relational Trauma

• Emotion-Focused Therapy for Eating Disorders

• Emotion-Focused Skills (Master Class)

• Transforming Emotions Symposium (June 2017)

• Ten Ways to enhance emotions in therapy (Dec. 2020)

• The George Hull Centre: Family Therapy Training Program

• Psychotherapy Practice Research Network: 

• Participated in training “The Evidence-Based Therapist workshop”

• Research participant

• Liana Lowenstein, World-renowned Play therapist: 

• Tips, Tricks, and Techniques for Online Therapy with Children

• It’s a beautiful day in Playborhood, World Edition

• Cognitive Behaviour Therapy Certificate with Nili Benazon from Hincks Dellcrest Centre

• Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioural Therapy- Advanced Training with Esther Deblinger

• Dialectical Behaviour Therapy with Shelley McMain through Hincks Dellcrest Centre

• Ellen Yack: Impact of Sensory Processing Disorders on Child Development  

• Erin Sclisizzi: Caring for Individuals with Alcohol-Related Disabilities (FASD related)

Professional organizations

• Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers (OCSWSSW)

• Ontario Association of Social Workers (OASW)