Title: Licensed Mental Health Counselor
Company: Hope for Healing Counseling LLC
Location: New Port Richey, Florida, United States
Melissa Vega, licensed mental health counselor at Hope for Healing Counseling LLC, has been recognized by Marquis Who’s Who Top Healthcare Professionals for dedication, achievements, and leadership in psychotherapy.
With nearly two decades of experience, Ms. Vega has built a successful career in psychotherapy, specializing in trauma, anxiety, and attention-deficit/hyperactivity (ADHD) disorder. She currently excels as the founder, owner, and licensed mental health counselor at Hope for Healing Counseling LLC, a position she has held since 2022. Her responsibilities include treating trauma in children, teenagers, and adults using various modalities such as trauma-focused cognitive-behavioral therapy and integrative family therapy. She aims to help her clients through whatever therapeutic method works best for them and has extensive experience in community and inpatient mental health settings, as well as in managing group homes and health care insurance.
Moreover, Ms. Vega has found success as a group home manager in addition to working in residential medicine, PHP, and IPMH. She was also able to aid unaccompanied minors through a program grant under the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Ms. Vega also holds memberships with Psi Chi, The International Honor Society in Psychology, and dedicates her time to pro bono cases.
Operating out of her private practice, Ms. Vega is also dedicated to educating her patients about their medications, helping them understand how they work and their potential side effects. She offers remote neurofeedback services, sends kits to clients, and creates customized programs through an application. She also provides ADHD testing and collaborates with school specialists and doctors to explain and advocate for her clients’ needs. Her responsibilities primarily focus on working with children under 10, often conducting in-home sessions to accommodate their young age, though she works with teenagers and adults as well. She specializes in play therapy techniques and teaches essential skills such as social interaction, emotional regulation, and time management, particularly tailored for those with ADHD. Her approach includes empowering children to self-advocate and addressing challenges related to peer interactions and self-esteem due to frequent negative feedback.
Ms. Vega laid a solid educational foundation with a Bachelor of Science in psychology from DePaul University and a Master of Arts in clinical professional psychology from Roosevelt University, graduating with honors and at the top of her class in 2005. Her certifications include Certified ADHD Clinical Specialist, Certified Dialectical Behavioral Therapist, Certified Anxiety Specialist, Level II Clinical Trauma Therapist, Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor in Illinois, Licensed Mental Health Counselor in Florida, and Certified Complex Trauma Professional.
Passionate about her work in helping others process and overcome trauma, Ms. Vega takes great pride in her work with undocumented minors in Arizona who had fled their countries to escape life-threatening situations and helped clients struggling with suicidal thoughts. She attributes her success to the support of her family, especially her understanding husband and mother, who motivated her to pursue higher education, leading her to become the first person in her family to attend college. In the coming years, she is fervently pursuing her goal of obtaining a doctorate and establishing a community program that supports individuals with ADHD. She is committed to educating families and schools on identifying ADHD in children, aiming to shift away from labeling them as misbehaved. Her long-term goal involves transitioning her practice into a group practice model to enhance accessibility and reach within her community. She aims to address the gap in ADHD resources by providing specialized services and support, creating a collaborative environment where clients benefit from a diverse range of expertise tailored to their specific needs.
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