About
Hi there! My name is Cacky Mellor, Ph.D. and I am a teacher, healer, & community builder. I blend together art therapy, complementary medicine, somatics, and depth psychology techniques in a unique interdisciplinary approach to trauma resilience, fostering healing on an individual and community level. My approach is tailored to each client's unique needs. I specialize in women and femme empowerment and the reclamation of one’s body and narrative.
For over 15 years, I have been studying how to come into joyful relationship with the body. I studied art therapy and holistic psychology at Lesley University before earning my Master of Education's in art based activism. My studies continued with a masters and doctorate in depth psychology with an emphasis in somatic studies at Pacifica Graduate Institute. I am a Master Somatic Movement Therapist and Educator, a Somatic Experiencing© practitioner, and RYT-500. Additionally, I am a reiki master and have trained in a variety of somatic and energetic healing modalities.
During my time at Pacifica I was introduced to the work of Jungian analysts and depth psychologists, Marion Woodman & James Hillman. Their approach to working with the embodied metaphor has greatly influenced my approach and marries nicely with Somatic Experiencing©. I have also actively sought out additional study in Ayurveda and mindfulness philosophy and practices to recontextualize much of the appropriated ancient wisdoms that are foundational to somatic and holistic wellness. The context is a necessary component of honoring the ancestors and elders past, present, and emerging that have stewarded this life giving knowledge for centuries, often in the face of persecution and oppression. I give gratitude to them and for the life force that flows through this sacred embodied wisdom that I share with loved ones, clients, and community.
I am so passionate about Somatic Experiencing© that after completing the training, I have pursued opportunities to assist and support current SE students in their training.
I developed an innovative approach to working with how language affects us on a body level. Words, and the stories we associate with them, have a deeply profound effect on us physically, psychologically, & relationally. Through my work, I bring careful awareness to the use and felt sense of language to help individuals explore & reclaim the power given to specific words. The approach works to decolonize the body and foster embodied resilience as a foundational aspect of social justice work.
You can find me in:
CV available upon request.
Please kindly note that I am not a licensed clinical psychologist and do not accept insurance.
