Melissa Koehler, MSW, LSW

About Me

Hi, my name is Melissa and working with children and families is my passion! I would describe myself as driven, caring, and people-focused. I thrive on connection and love helping others grow. I’m energetic and organized, yet flexible and spontaneous when life calls for it. Whether I’m hosting a themed party, celebrating a birthday, or simply enjoying an iced coffee and my favorite music (I’m a proud Swiftie!), I try to find joy in every moment.

Growing up, I loved playing sports and being active, and I still find that daily exercise helps me stay centered, manage stress, and tackle challenges with a clear mind. At the end of the day, nothing makes me happier than coming home to cuddle with my two wonderful pets: Karma the cat (yes, like the Taylor Swift song) and Lua the dog.

My Specialities

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Anger

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PARENTING & ATTACHMENT ISSUES

including parent and child conflict

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Behavioral Challenges

tantrums, outbursts, hitting, etc

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ADHD

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Anxiety & Depression

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Trauma

Lil Bit More Info

AGES SEEN

Melissa likes to work with pre-school and elementary aged students the most, but will see any age! She loves to work with parents on attachment with children 0-2!

Melissa’s ideal client is a child or teen who may be experience emotional, behavioral, or social challenges and whose family is open to collaborating with her through the therapeutic process to reach a common goal. She works best with children and families who can benefit from a strengths-based and developmentally appropriate approach.

PHILOSOPHY

Melissa truly enjoys utilizing her knowledge of the different stages of development and the impact this has on a child to help families develop appropriate expectations and consequences, foster trust, and improve emotional regulation. She believes that a parent plays an integral role in a child’s mental health and therapeutic process. While therapy can provide a safe space for children to explore their emotions and practice new skills, the lasting growth happens when these skills are reinforced and supported at home.

Melissa believes the trajectory of kids’ lives can be changed by the support they receive as a child. She believes it is a priveldge to have the opportunity to support a child and their family as they overcome challenges and achieve goals.

Q & A TIME

What is a quote that has meaning to you?

From My Misgivings About Advice, one of my favorite quotes is, “The human soul doesn’t want to be advised, or fixed, or saved. It simply wants to be witnessed, exactly as it is” by Parker Palmer. It has been in my signature at the end of my email for over 6 years as a reminder of the true meaning of being present.

How do you try to help children & families reach lasting change?

I try to create a collaborative, strengths-based therapeutic environment that extends beyond the session. My approach including building trusting relationships and rapport, individualized interventions, engage parents in active involvement, and practicing skill building and empowerment.

If you could give parents one piece of advice, what would it be?

Do not be afraid to say you are sorry. Whether that be for raising your voice, a decision you made, or about being wrong. You are teaching your children that it is okay to mess up. Most importantly, do not forget to say sorry to yourself and give yourself grace. You and your child are both learning how to navigate life.

Blog Post

How Repair Heals Parent-Child Relationships

Parenting will always include moments we wish we could take back, but those moments don’t define us, and they don’t define our relationship with our children

Co-Regulation: Why Your Response Matters

Discover how secure attachment and co-regulation shape your child’s emotional health. Learn why calm, consistent parenting builds trust and safety, how your response regulates your child’s nervous system, and practical ways to strengthen connection through everyday …

Mrs. Melissa has been such a blessing for our daughter, she feels so comfortable with her and can tell her anything that she’s not comfortable sharing with us. We are so happy with the progress she had made and how Melissa has helped us as parents navigating her issues and just being a parent.

Absolutely love Melissa and feel like she’s great at working to understand our child’s brain and tweak things to make sense for him. My son truly looks forward to meeting with Melissa, and I look forward to him getting new skills and techniques to try.

I cannot say enough wonderful things about Melissa. When we started with her my daughter was struggling a ton with her emotional regulation and honestly our whole family was struggling with her frequent outbursts. Melissa has 100% changed all of our lives. My daughter absolutely loves her sessions and looks forward to them every time. When I have parent sessions I feel heard and understood and I also leave them feeling more confident about how to best parent my neurodivergent child.

We are very happy with Melissa. My daughter looks forward to therapy

Education & Experience

Melissa is a Licensed Social Worker (LSW) who is working on her hours towards her LCSW. She attended Indiana University School of Social Work. She completed her undergraduate degree at Ball State University (chirp chirp!) In undergrad, she double-minored in Counselling Psychology and Psychology of Human Development. In her Masters program, she concentrated her learning in the realm of children, youth, and families. One of her favorite classes in graduate school was Confronting Loss, Grief, Death, and Bereavement. In our society, these topics are so taboo and equally as hard to talk about and yet is so important to have the space to process such a tough experience!

Master’s Of Social Work

from Indiana University

Bachelor’s of Art

double minor in Counseling Psychology and Psychology of Human Development

Additional Training

Teaching-Family Model, infant mental health, attachment styles and parenting, Gad, ADHD, Suicide Prevention, 123 Magic and in progress for OCD training.