Healthy Roots Counseling

✨ Therapist Feature: Meet Melanie Shands, LCSW ✨

At the heart of Healthy Roots Counseling is a deep commitment to walking alongside people in their hardest moments—and Melanie embodies that in every way.

Her journey into therapy began through lived experience, navigating her son’s Bipolar Disorder diagnosis and the complexities of the mental health system. What started as advocacy and learning became a calling. After the loss of her son, her work took on even deeper meaning—creating spaces where no one has to feel alone in their healing. 🤍

Her approach in 3 words:
Warm. Attuned. Empowering.

Populations she loves working with:
Children, teens, and adults navigating trauma, grief, and life transitions—with a special heart for foster children and foster families.

A go-to coping skill:
The 5-4-3-2-1 grounding technique—using your senses to gently bring your nervous system back to the present moment.

Right now, she’s finding comfort in:
Slow moments outside, reading and watching the birds—reminding us all to pause and breathe. 🌿

A reminder she holds close:
“Just because it’s taking time doesn’t mean it’s not working.”

Something you might not expect:
She loves getting lost in supernatural romance and thrillers—because we all need an escape sometimes. 📚

✨ Her hope for every client:
That you leave feeling relief, hope, and a sense that you don’t have to carry it all alone anymore.

📍 Now accepting clients at Healthy Roots Counseling
📞 417-289-2942
www.healthy-roots-counseling.com

These slow, peaceful mornings don’t happen every day—but when they do, I soak them in. ☕️☀️