Melissa Taylor, Registered Social Worker, Psychotherapist & Co-Owner

Melissa Taylor MSW, RSW (she/her/we)

EMDRIA approved EMDR consultant

I am accepting new clients. 

I grew up as a third culture kid in east Toronto, which gave me a deep understanding of cultural identity and the experiences that pass between generations. Today, I bring a culturally responsive, trauma-informed approach to my work as a psychotherapist.

I support people navigating the effects of trauma, colonization, identity-based oppression, relationship challenges, and experiences passed down through families and communities. I know that trauma affects more than our thoughts and emotions. It shapes our bodies, our relationships, our sense of identity, and how we connect with others.

I’m especially passionate about supporting Black, racialized, and 2SLGBTQIA+ individuals. My practice is grounded in anti-racist, anti-oppressive, and Black feminist frameworks, because I believe our mental health is shaped not only by our individual experiences, but also by our families, cultures, communities, histories, and the systems we live in.

My Approach to Therapy

For me, healing isn’t about erasing difficult experiences or becoming someone different. Therapy is a chance to understand how your past has shaped the way you think, relate, protect yourself, and move through the world.

As an EMDRIA-approved EMDR consultant, I tailor my approach to your needs and goals. I draw from:

• EMDR: helps your brain reprocess distressing memories so they feel less overwhelming.
• Brainspotting: uses where you look to access and process trauma held in the brain and body.
• Deep Brain Reorienting: a gentle approach that works with the body’s earliest responses to shock and threat.
• Sensorimotor Psychotherapy: a body-centred approach that uses physical sensations and movement to support healing.
• Internal Family Systems (IFS): helps you get to know the different “parts” of yourself with curiosity and compassion.
• Safe and Sound Protocol & Rest and Restore Protocol: listening programs that use specially filtered music to help your nervous system feel calmer and safer.
• Rest and Restore is the body’s parasympathetic state: heart rate slows, breathing deepens, and the nervous system shifts from stress into healing, repair, and calm.

I Specialize In

• Trauma and complex trauma
• Intergenerational trauma
• Racial trauma
• Experiences of racism, colonization, and systemic oppression
• Relational trauma and relationship challenges
• Identity and cultural experiences
• 2SLGBTQIA+ experiences and oppression
• Anxiety and emotional distress
• Gen Xers and millennials

What You Can Expect

Starting therapy can feel vulnerable, especially when past experiences have made it hard to feel safe, understood, or connected. I work to build a relationship where you can move at a pace that feels manageable, and where your experiences are met with curiosity, respect, and compassion.

I’m also the Clinical Director of Ancestral Memory Therapy, where my work centres on trauma, PTSD, intergenerational healing, and reconnecting with ancestral and cultural experiences.

Sessions & Availability

• In person at The Healing Collective, 2005 Danforth Ave., Toronto, and virtually across Ontario
• Tuesday to Friday
• $170 for a 50-minute individual session
• As a Registered Social Worker, my services are covered by many extended health benefit plans.

Book a Free 15-Minute Consultation

If you’re looking for a trauma therapist who understands how trauma, identity, culture, race, and relationships intersect, I’d love to hear from you. Let’s talk about whether we’re a good fit.