Melinda Malher

Melinda S. Malher, MA, LPCC, BC-DMT, C-SPT (she/her/they) holds a Master’s in Expressive Therapies with an emphasis in dance/movement therapy. She is a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (#3329), Board-Certified Dance/Movement Therapist and Certified Synergetic Play Therapist with over ten years of clinical experience. Melinda has worked in special education, acute psychiatry, community mental health, adaptive dance, eating disorder recovery and nature-based mental health services with clients across the lifespan. In recent years, her career has been focused in leadership roles including: clinical director, graduate educator, community organizer and American Dance Therapy Association board member. In addition to her adjunct teaching appointments at California Institute of Integral Studies and University of San Francisco she provides clinical supervision to Masters counseling students at Palo Alto University. She is grateful to live and work in San Francisco where there is always adventure to be had.

• Clinical supervision
• Human development
• Child therapy
• Expressive arts therapies
• Law and ethics in counseling profession

• Counselor education and training
• Inclusion

• Lesley University, MA in Expressive Therapies and Mental Health Counseling (2013)
• San Jose State University, BA Dance (2010)

• Board of Directors, American Dance Therapy Association (2024-present)
• Adjunct Professor in Counseling, California Institute of Integral Studies (2023-present)
• Clinical Director, Gateway Mountain Center (2024-2025)
• Senior Clinical Director, The Lotus Collaborative (2020-2024)

• Outstanding Achievement, American Dance Therapy Association, 2018
• Leader of Tomorrow, American Dance Therapy Association, 2015