In Person and Virtual EMDR Therapy Intensives for High-Stakes Professionals and Perfectionists in Ohio & Kentucky.
Melissa Foster, MSW, LISW-S, LCSW, RYT
EMDRIA Certified EMDR Therapist, EMDR Consultant™, Registered Yoga Teacher and Founder of Fostering Fortitude
Currently accepting new EMDR Therapy Intensive clients and limited ongoing sports for post-intensive support.
Hi, I’m Melissa. I work with high‑stakes, high‑achieving professionals who look like they’re holding it all together—but feel exhausted, anxious, or numb underneath.
My practice is built for perfectionists, helpers, and “Type A” folks who are used to pushing through, not slowing down. In our work together, you don’t have to downplay how intense your job is or how much you carry for other people. We name it, make room for it, and then actually do something about it.
I most often work with:
• High‑risk, high‑responsibility professionals (healthcare, first responders, legal, finance, leadership).
• People whose boundaries get blurred by their work: always on call, always available, always “the strong one.”
• Parents and partners who feel guilty about long hours, emotional fatigue, or feeling “checked out” at home.
• High achievers who are married to their job and aren’t sure what a sustainable life would even look like.
Whether it’s vicarious trauma, burnout, marital strain, dating while anxiously attached, or feeling like you’re never enough, I’m not afraid to sit in the deep end with you.
My work is grounded in trauma‑informed care and The Polyvagal Theory, which means we pay close attention to what’s happening in your nervous system, not just in your thoughts in your head. Chronic stress and trauma often show up as fight, flight, freeze, or fawn responses, which can drive anxiety, depression, and dissociation.
I specialize in EMDR Therapy Intensives for high‑achieving adults who want focused, deep work in a contained time frame. In our sessions, whether intensive or ongoing, we collaborate to:
• Identify past experiences and patterns that keep getting triggered in your current life.
• Help your nervous system find safety and regulation, so you’re not stuck in constant overdrive or shutdown.
• Set boundaries and goals that are actually workable in a high‑pressure life.
• Challenge old beliefs (“I’m failing,” “I’m too much,” “I can’t stop”) and build a more grounded sense of self.
As an EMDRIA Approved Consultant™, I also support other therapists in using EMDR ethically and effectively, and I bring that same level of care and precision to my client work.
Because trauma and anxiety live in the body, not just in the mind, I integrate grounding and somatic tools into our work. This might look like breath work, gentle yoga or movement, mindfulness, and other practices that help your body learn it’s allowed to come out of survival mode.
We always move at your nervous system’s pace, no forcing, no flooding, no performance required.
A bit about me:
My friends describe me as enthusiastic, passionate, and genuinely invested in the people I care about. I’m a retired Division I athlete, a mom of two young kids, and the spouse of a first responder—so I understand high‑stakes work, odd hours, and the impact they can have at home.
When I’m not seeing clients, you’ll probably find me hanging out with my family, running with my local run club, or playing with our Goldendoodle, Rosie.
If you want updates on intensives, groups, trainings, and resources, you can subscribe to my monthly email list, I pack it with things I actually use with clients and in my own life.
– Melissa
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Therapy for high risk, high stakes, high stress professionals, complex PTSD, attachment wounds, perfectionism, performance anxiety.
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Every training I take is specially chosen with you, my client or potential client, in mind.
Advanced Training in EMDR Therapy including: Easy Ego States Interventions, Chronic Depression Treatment within EMDR Therapy, and
Advanced Training in providing LGBTQIA+ Mental Health Services including:
Aviation Mental Health
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy-Insomnia (CBT-I)
Collaborative Assessment and Management of Suicidality (CAMS)
Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT)
INTRODUCTION TO MILITARY CULTURE, FAMILIES AND DEPLOYMENT
OVERVIEW OF MILITARY SERVICE-RELATED BEHAVIORAL HEALTH CHALLENGES
Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT)
Prolonged Exposure Therapy for PTSD
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Therapeutic Areas of Expertise:
Complex Trauma & PTSD:
Emotional neglect
Children of narcissistic parents
Religious shame/trauma
Chronic physical/sexual abuse
Shame/self-image issues
Vicarious, Secondary Trauma
Anxiety Disorders:
Generalized anxiety
Performance Anxiety
Social anxiety
Specific phobias
Intrusive thoughts
Panic Attacks
High-Risk, High-Stakes Professionals:
Perfectionism
Imposter syndrome
Life transitions and high stress
Breakups
Career changes
Relocation
High-stress professions
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As a whole, my practice is trauma informed and polyvagal informed.
Somatic Psychotherapy
Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing - EMDR
Mindfulness-based psychotherapy
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy- Insomnia
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MSW, The Ohio State University
Ohio License: I.1700472-SUPV
Kentucky License: LCSW00001146
Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT):
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EMDRIA Certified EMDR Therapist
LISW with Training Supervision Designation (Ohio)
LCSW (Kentucky)
Affiliated, co-facilitator of EMDR basic training through the Institute of Creative Mindfulness, through Amber Stiles-Bodnar Consulting
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Rosie, Therapy Dog Mascot
Rosie is our very friendly Goldendoodle, born in December 2023 (we share a birthday). She’s currently in training with the hope of becoming a certified therapy dog. For now, she’s our enthusiastic office mascot and occasional guest star on virtual sessions.
Her favorite things: long walks, puppy daycare, backyard zoomies, and meeting new people. Feel free to ask how her training is going, she’s very proud of herself.
