Melanie Shands
Licensed Clinical Social Workers
“My name is Melanie Shands, and I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW). I am a Registered Play Therapist and EMDRIA Certified EMDR Therapist.”
About Me
I’m Melanie Shands, and I aim for our sessions to be a grounded space where all parts of you are welcome. As a Registered Play Therapist, I help children voice big emotions through creative play, turning worry into understanding. For adults, my EMDRIA certification supports processing difficult memories, gently moving towards greater calm. We’ll work collaboratively to make sense of challenges, helping you build inner resources and find a way forward in daily life.
Approach
You’ll notice sessions move at a steady, compassionate pace, inviting curiosity and safety while we sort through what feels most urgent. I offer both in-person meetings in St. Louis and secure telehealth in English, and I aim to keep sessions practical so you leave with something usable. We work through feelings and memories using playful, paced exploration with children and guided processing and skills practice with teens and adults, including short between-session experiments to test new ways of coping. This approach often fits people seeking clearer emotion regulation and steadier days.
Contact Melanie
Ask a quick question or arrange a time to meet.
Basic Information
Services
Services Offered:
- •Coaching
- •Relationship Counseling
- •Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT)
- •Play Therapy
- •CBT
- •EMDR
- •Family Therapy
Works With:
- •Adolescents
- •Adults
- •Children
- •Couples
- •Families
- •Individuals
Area of Expertise
Scope of Practice:
- •Anger
- •Anxiety
- •Autism (ASD)
- •Behaviour or Conduct Issues
- •Mood Disorder
- •Child Behaviour
- •Divorce Counseling
Professional Title:
- •Licensed Clinical Social Workers
Qualifications
University of Missouri