Melena Saddler, LMHC, LPC, NCC, BC-TMH

Melena Saddler is a doctoral student in the Counselor Education and Supervision program at Capella University. Melena is a resident of New York City and holds her LMHC in New York and her LPC in Connecticut. She completed her master’s in Clinical Mental Health Counseling in 2013 at SUNY Plattsburgh. Melena works primarily as a telehealth therapist through her private practice. Her population of choice is women of color in the inner cities with a history of sexual trauma. Melena has been working with this population for the last five years and has aspirations of one day starting a remote retreat for survivors. Melena has been committed to trauma initiatives since 2016, when she decided to involve herself in organizations focused on helping sexual assault survivors. Melena’s dissertation is currently focused on improving the qualifications surrounding trauma-informed supervision by exploring the experiences of clinical supervisors. As a future counselor educator, Melena would like to see a trauma course built into the graduate curriculum and increased initiatives in the CACREP standards. As a member and representative of the IARTC Melena is looking to expand her initiatives and fellowship with like-minded providers.