Cheryl Melder  |  Registered Clinical Counsellor

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Cheryl Melder (M.Ed., RCC) is a counsellor in Vancouver, BC with a focus on trauma counselling and addictions counselling for women, couples, and youth. Cheryl Melder shares her time between private practice and her position at the Surrey Women's Centre where since 2009, she has provided individual and group counselling to help women heal from the impact of trauma and violence on their lives.

Cheryl Melder's past experience includes a clinical counselling internship at the Centre for Concurrent Disorders (CCD), where she provided counselling to adults and youth who were experiencing alcohol or drug addiction and a concurrent mental health diagnosis such as anxiety or depression. Cheryl provided individual therapy and facilitated groups for a variety of topics including anxiety, depression, parenting teens with concurrent disorders, and a '16 Steps' group for women. Cheryl's time at CCD highlilghted to her that a significant number of women with concurrent disorders also have a history of trauma, which led to her current focus on trauma counselling for women.

Cheryl Melder has a specialized focus on trauma counselling:

• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
• Complex post-traumatic stress responses (hypervigilance, intrusive thoughts, avoidance, flashbacks)
• Childhood abuse
• Sexual assault
• Violence in intimate relationships (domestic violence)
• Crime Victim Assistance Program (CVAP) counselling for victims or witnesses of crime who qualify for government benefits

Other areas of interest:

• Addictions (drug and alcohol abuse)
• Adolescent and youth counselling
• Anxiety and panic
• Concurrent disorders (addiction with mental health diagnosis)
• Couples counselling & marriage counselling
• Depression
• Grief & loss
• Life and career transitions
• Personal growth (self-esteem, self-care, assertiveness, confidence, boundaries, anger)
• Relationships (couples, family of origin)
• Stress reduction
• Women's issues

Counselling approach:

Cheryl Melder practices from a feminist and anti-oppressive perspective, and is heavily influenced by both person-centered and psychodynamic approaches. She believes that each individual is the expert in their own life and works collaboratively with clients to empower them to become involved in their care and to identify their own goals and purpose for counselling. Cheryl respects the values, strengths, and resources of each unique client, as well as their capacity for resilience and self-determination.

Cheryl uses a variety of therapies and techniques depending on the client's needs:

• Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT)
• Psychodynamic therapy

Education:

• M.Ed., Counselling Psychology, University of British Columbia

Designations:

• Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC #3865)
• Approved provider for Crime Victim Assistance Program (CVAP)

Professional associations:

• BC Association of Clinical Counsellors (BCACC)

Contact Cheryl Melder:

• Book an appointment with Cheryl
• Email Cheryl