Melissa Lockman

[psychotherapy, perinatal + parenting support,
​parent-infant specialist, trauma specialist]

Pelvic Floor Therapy Boulder Lynn Leech
Read more about Melissa and her psychotherapy practice in Boulder.

Contact Melissa for a free 30 minute consultation for potential new clients.
 
[email protected]
303-818-8505

office hours:
Tue 9 am to 3:30 pm
Wed 9 am to 3:30 pm
Thur 9 am to 6:30 pm
Fri 9 am to 3:30 pm
​
rates:
$120/ 50 minute office session
$120 50 minute home visit
Free 30 minute consultation
Approach: “Orienting to Joy”:
I believe that joy is possible!
 
I believe that every mother has the right, and the ability, and the inner resources to be her very best—to consistently and easily access joy and exuberance and satisfaction.
 
I believe that every mother has the right and the capacity to feel joyful on whatever her parenting path is.
 
Perinatal mood and anxiety disorders can be devastating. They are also treatable and manageable with the right support.
 
Whether a new parent or a seasoned one, bringing an infant into this world can be nothing shy of shocking. Shocking! As parents, we move on a moment to moment basis from fun and ease to desperation and self-doubt. My goal is guide you in the direction of health, balance and joy as you re-orient your life and your family’s life to incorporate a new baby into the fray. And I will encourage you to honor the dialectic that exists—there will always be challenges as a parent, yet we can hold both pieces and learn to continually orient ourselves toward the joy.
 
What you will sense in my presence—compassion, non-judgment and extensive expertise in the difficulties that go along with conception, pregnancy, the post-partum period, and the ongoing journey of parenting.
 
Somatic Psychotherapy:
I am a somatic psychotherapist. What does that mean? It means that, when appropriate and when you as the client are ready and interested, I am delighted to work on the level of the nervous system. (This is in addition to working within a traditional modality of exploring thoughts and feelings.) Working with the nervous system means that we pay attention to sensations in the body that get linked to feelings and experiences. By paying attention to those sensations, it is possible to decrease anxiety and symptoms of trauma.
 
With the goal of orienting to joy, I offer the following services.
 
Individual counseling with focus on:
  • Preconception, infertility and loss
  • Perinatal (pregnancy and post partum) mood disorders
  • Anxiety with anticipation of birthing/labor
  • Difficult or traumatic birth
  • Early attachment—I enjoy working with parents and the infants together
  • Parent guidance and support
  • Play therapy for toddlers and young children
 
Professional experience and training:
I bring extensive experience, years of education, and specialized training to our work together:

  • First and foremost, I work somatically whenever there is an opening. I am a Somatic Experience Practitioner (SEP), which is the brilliant work of Peter Levine. I believe that working in this evidence-based modality is truly the “fast-track to joy”.
  • I have extensive training and experience in maternal mental health and I am determined to help mothers navigate motherhood with more ease and more joy.
  • I am an endorsed Infant Mental Health Specialist. In working with parents, my focus will always hold the emotional health of the infant/child in the balance, giving attention to all aspects of the very early attachment process.
  • I am DBT (Dialectical Behavioral Therapy) trained. DBT skills offer a concrete pathway to living the life you want to live. The core set of skills is (1) Emotional Regulation, (2) Interpersonal Effectiveness, (3) Distress Tolerance and (4) Mindfulness. I love sharing these skills—I use them! As a fellow human and fellow parent, I am on this journey with you and I find these skills essential on a daily basis.
  • For over a decade I have been teaching self-defense, safety and empowerment with an exemplary organization called Impact—they’ve been doing evidence-based self-protection work for 40 years. This work is much more than a set of physical skills—years of this work has helped me to integrate into therapy the importance of a core belief in oneself as valuable and worth protecting.
To see a list of all the Joy Practitioners, please visit the practitioner page.