Melissa Zwart, LMFT, has been a licensed marriage and family therapist in California since October 2003, specializing in attachment, foster/adoptive issues, and trauma work with adolescents, children, and their families. Her practice includes a balance of individual, family, and couples therapy. Melissa holds a certificate in Play Therapy from UCSD and is a Certified Trauma Professional. She is trained in EMDR, Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), Gottman Level 1 and 2, Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) Level 1, and Spleenka therapy. Melissa’s therapeutic approach to understanding pathology and healing is rooted in an object relations and attachment perspective. Beyond direct clinical work, she is passionate about training competent therapists and has served as a supervisor in both individual and group settings. She also enjoys administrative and teaching roles in higher education and is an Assistant Professor teaching courses in Child and Adolescent Therapy, Family Therapy, Marital Therapy, and Psychopathology. Melissa believes early intervention is key to leading a fulfilling life. With a holistic understanding of the individual child as part of a larger family system, she helps families move from a state of surviving to thriving.