Melissa Beer

People carrying the weight of anxiety, depression, trauma, or addiction often arrive at Melissa Beer’s practice feeling stuck, ashamed, or simply exhausted — including those whose work never really ends, the notifications always within reach, the boundary between professional and personal worn thin. Melissa is a Registered Social Worker based in Sarnia, Ontario, who works with teenagers, young adults, men, and women facing these kinds of pressures, along with abuse recovery, mood disorders, burnout, and the full reach of addictive behaviours.

Her therapeutic foundation draws on Internal Family Systems, Somatic Experiencing, Polyvagal Theory and the Safe and Sound Protocol, alongside CBT- and DBT-informed approaches — methods that treat the mind and body as inseparable, and that look beneath surface symptoms toward the pain driving them. Guided by Gabor Maté’s framing of addiction as a response to suffering, Melissa brings a self-compassion and anti-oppressive lens to every session, honouring how personal history and social context together shape a person’s experience.

Sessions are offered online, keeping support accessible wherever someone is in their life. Melissa holds a Master of Social Work from Wilfrid Laurier University and is completing advanced training in trauma and IFS, expected in December 2025.