More About Melissa

Melissa Caldwell Engle is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) and a Registered Art Therapist (ATR). She has over 30 years of experience treating trauma, mental health diagnoses, and addictions. She was the past Executive Director of the Ross Institute for Psychological Trauma for 24 years. In this role, Melissa clinically managed three nationally recognized inpatient programs directed by Colin A. Ross M.D. She was involved in the development and implementation of the Trauma Model and its integration into the programs’ treatment milieu.

Melissa was actively involved in the development of the Trauma Model Certification process and co-presented, past and present, with Dr. Ross for the last 20 years. She was the co-founder of the Trauma Recovery Associates (TRA 2002) a program created in response to the Catholic Church’s sex abuse scandal in 2002. TRA has since grown with its focus being to educate and foster the development of organizational leaders, human service providers, and trauma survivors themselves to respond more effectively to the impact of childhood trauma on individuals and society.

In addition, Melissa has worked in private practice for 18 years with all mental health symptoms and diagnoses including Depression, Dual-Diagnose, Anxiety, Bi-Polar, PTSD, Eating Disorders, OCD, Dissociative Disorders and Addictions. She has specialized training in trauma-related symptoms, Dissociative Disorders, and women’s issues.  Her years of experience treating clients at both the individual and group level. With her extensive years of experience in the behavioral health arena and her specialization in trauma, she created the Integrated Addiction Model which is used at Healing Springs Ranch today. This truly integrated approach addresses all addictive patterns and underlying co-occurring mental health diagnoses.

In addition to her administrative role at Healing Springs Ranch, she has an active role in the treatment program and family intensives. She teaches a weekly didactic and experiential group and is involved in case consultation, program development, program management, marketing, clinical supervision, and training.

Melissa is an internationally recognized educator and speaker, on the effects of trauma, addiction, and the comorbid client. Melissa has a unique way of combining theory with treatment techniques emphasizing experiential treatment modalities. This combination allows her to reach a broad audience of clinicians, clients, and laypeople. Her humor and case examples create a highly entertaining presentation style that makes her a recognized and sought-after international speaker.