You deserve to feel joy in your parenting journey. You do not have to suffer alone.
Trauma doesn’t have to hold you back or prevent you from feeling whole.
I have dedicated my therapy practice to supporting clients in making joy and wholeness a reality in their lives.
If you’re ready to step into your full self and find more clarity in your life, we might be a great fit for working together.
Who Am I?
I’m Melissa Lockman, MA, MSW, LCSW, SEP — a somatic psychotherapist with a passion for supporting my clients in finding joy, meaning and satisfaction in motherhood and parenting. And I am also passionate about assisting my clients in navigating trauma in order to move from a sense of overwhelm to a sense of power.
As a therapist, I work primarily with women and their families to help them create more a satisfying, joyful and equitable family life.
And as a highly trained trauma expert, my skills as a Somatic Experiencing Practitioner allow me to use a nervous-system based approach to helping clients resolve and integrate past traumatic experiences.
I’m here to support you and thrilled to get to know you in our work together.
Who I Work With
Mothers
Who are dealing with Postpartum Mood Disorders (depression, anxiety, rage, etc.)
Who have experienced birth trauma
Who are struggling to find joy after pregnancy and birth
Who are transitioning to parenthood for the first time or are transitioning to more than one child
Who want to create more space for themselves in the chaos of parenting
Women
Who are contemplating starting a family
Who are struggling through infertility
Who are working through their past traumas
Who want to bring a feminist balance into their family life
Parents
Who need support and guidance to create stronger and richer attachment with infants or children
Who need support and guidance with what is called “infant mental health” — this usually means giving attention and compassion to parent-infant disconnection that could be a result of postpartum depression, postpartum anxiety or a difficult birth
Who need support to find a better family balance at home
Who need guidance figuring out how to help struggling children
Who need a healthy co-parenting plan during separation & divorce
Individuals
Who are trauma survivors with a desire to feel more at ease
Who are trauma survivors who are looking for a somatic approach to resolving trauma
Who are trauma survivors who want to explore safe, gentle touch as an inroad to resolving and integrating trauma
Who are new to therapy or are experienced therapy clients
Who are ready to release pain and fear so they can let in more joy
Benefits of Somatic Psychotherapy Include...
More comfort and ease in your body
The ability to see past experiences from a reframed perspective
Deeper resilience to handle future stressful situations
More confidence and trust in yourself
Deeper compassion for yourself and how you survived
A feeling of positivity and hope
More clarity on past experiences
The ability to find meaning in those experiences
Feeling more focused and engaged in life’s activities
Wanting to connect with others more often
A general sense of peace and calm
Over the years as a somatic psychotherapist, I have come to see it as the fast track to joy! By going in to the nervous system, we bypass so much of how our cognitive processes get in the way of our own healing!
Some Things About Me
Qualifications
Licensed Clinical Social Worker in Colorado (LCSW) # 09923863
Maternal Mental Health trained, Postpartum Support International (PSI)
Infant Mental Health Expert, endorsement from Colorado Association for Infant Mental Health (COAIMH)
Somatic Experiencing Practitioner (SEP), Somatic Experiencing Trauma Institute (2008)
Master of Social Work, Simmons College (2008)
Master of Arts in Feminist Studies, Goddard College (2004)
Bachelor of Arts in Ecology; teaching certification, Princeton University (1997)
Experience
Maternal and Infant Mental Health Therapist at Mental Health Partners in Boulder, CO
Child and Family Trauma Therapist at Child Witness to Violence Project at Boston Medical Center
Social worker at Center for Violence Prevention and Recovery at Boston’s Beth Israel Hospital
Child and Family Trauma Therapist at Children’s Charter in Boston
Assistant Trainer for therapists going through Somatic Experiencing training
Trauma Consultant at Impact Personal Safety Colorado
Case worker in domestic violence prevention and in rape crisis
Self-defense instructor at women’s & girls’ self-defense schools
My Background & Philosophy
What you will sense in my presence is compassion, non-judgment, and extensive expertise in the difficulties that go along with conception, pregnancy, the postpartum period, and the ongoing journey of parenting.
What you may also sense in my presence is an exquisite reverence for how you survived trauma, as well as my compassionate guidance out of trauma and back to healing.
I have a diverse academic and professional background that allows me to look at things from multiple perspectives. My path has not been linear and I’m grateful for all the twists and turns that led me to my current work supporting individuals, mothers, and trauma survivors. My clients inspire me and give me hope every day.
My own experiences of becoming a mother give me deep insight and compassion for the important transition in a mother’s and infant’s life. I have my own felt experience of struggling to make sense of a new identity as a parent. And I know the satisfaction and joy of integrating my struggles and imperfections into wholeness.
Of great curiosity to me is how to support clients in creating equitable homes, or (as I like to call it) “the feminist family.” I deeply believe in supporting mothers in unearthing how to ask for what they need, fulfill those needs, and to thrive. I believe that your family can be a nurturing place for your children and for you as a parent.
I’d love to walk with you on this journey of healing transformation.
A Bit More About Me
Favorite People
My mother. If I have grit (and I do…), it is because of her.
Pema Chödrön, a Buddhist nun in Nova Scotia
The Dalai Lama, who embodies so much life and beauty just in his smile
My partner. He is a rock solid human being.
Favorite Movies
Harold and Maude (love the Cat Stevens soundtrack!)
Inside Out
Life is Beautiful
Favorite Books
The Whole Brain Child
Birthing From Within
Cinderella Ate My Daughter
When Things Fall Apart
Good Moms Have Scary Thoughts
I am a Libra. I am TRULY a Libra. I am a peacemaker. I am a diplomat. I find balance and connection where it is tenuous or hidden.
I’m always working on balance. I feel the best when I get fresh air + sunshine, movement outside, and healthy meals shared with my family.
If I get to be reincarnated, in my next life I am going to be part of Cirque de Soleil. In the meantime, I’ll keep showing up to weekly yoga!