Melissa Thompson
RCC Coach, Gottman Level 1 & 2 Certified, Enneagram & Marriage Certified, & Trauma-Informed
Hello! I’m Melissa. I am a certified and trauma-informed coach on the Reflections team. I am Gottman level 1 and level 2 certified (Couples/relationship work) as well as an E & M certified coach. I also have a life coaching Tik Tok account @MelissasLifeCoaching also if you’d like to check me out on social media.
Have you ever had that overwhelming feeling that it is time for change? To create forward-focused goals? To heal from past wounds? To learn to live intentionally and be proactive in your journey?
Being our best self is a marathon, not a sprint. I am honored to sit with my clients and offer a safe place to identify so many of life’s triggers, struggles, hurts, and wounds. You were created with passion and a purpose and I would love to work with you to find out what that means for you.
Many of us are in survival mode. We are held back by past lies, shame, guilt and hurt. I don’t want to see you just survive, I want to see you thrive!
My passion is to give you tools to move forward. Two questions I would love to ask you are, “Where do you see yourself a year from now?” and “What is your greatest fear in the situation you are in and want to work through?” My desire is to help you find answers to these questions and achieve your goals. There are many monsters we are up against in life. I want to show you that you can defeat the monster! Just like David did when he was up against Goliath. With one single stone, faith and God’s leading!
In my free time I am a mom of 4, ages from 25-12. They keep me busy. Faith, fitness, and nutrition are also a big part of who I am. Another passion I have is women’s self-defense. I am very honored to be an instructor on a local team here in town.
God has placed a burning passion in my heart for people. I have my own trauma and wounds I have worked and walked through. I desperately want you to know your true worth. Your past, no matter what it looks like, does not define you. You are NOT what others may have labeled you as. Boundaries are a huge point of reference that I often touch on in my sessions. I say, “Boundaries are a foreign language most of us haven’t been taught. We must learn to speak this language fluently to create a healthy life for ourselves.” To most, boundaries mean conflict, loss, rejection, and abandonment. I want to change that perspective with you.
It is such a joy to watch my clients find their authentic self and fall in love with who they are. I love working one on one, with couples and children. Sessions can be offered in the office, on zoom or phone calls. Whatever is best for you.
“The process is the most beautiful part”
I look forward to meeting with you!
“Melissa was the hand that reached out and pulled me out of the darkness that was my life. I was drowning in a toxic relationship, suffering from my anxiety, and really saw no hope for my future. God used her to speak life to me-her words fell on me like sweet honey. I had forgotten who I was as a person, a mother, a friend, and a daughter. I could never thank her enough for doing what God has called her to do, because she stood in the gap for me..Seeing Melissa wasn’t just going to therapy or having a life coach, thought she is extraordinary at it. It was like coming home to a friend. She is truly a ray of light in a dark world and I am grateful everyday that she holds a very special chapter in my story o hope, healing, and strength.”
ststan Hi, I’m Christa Hardin, the owner and director of Reflections Counseling and Coaching Center! I started Reflections on the Suncoast after a decade of being a clinical therapist in both the Chicago area & Michigan. It's always been my dream to have a multi-faceted center where individuals can find wellness, inspiration and healing, and where my staff and I can reflect the love of Christ. It's amazing to have a dream come true and I don't take that lightly. I continue to be inspired by the brave couples and individuals who I am privileged to work with and love helping them to cross the finish line of their dreams again and again.
I am SO thankful for my roots from EMU, Wheaton College, and AACC, where I have majored in communication (Bachelor's Degree, EMU), psychology (Bachelor's Degree, EMU), Clinical Psychology (Master's degree, Wheaton) and coaching (AACC). I did an independent study on marriage in graduate school of couples and their attachment styles. I continue to learn from and integrate practice from the very best places in the world of family systems thinkers, brain research, and marriage and wellness research at large. I take the Bible, God's word, as my ultimate source for inspiration and wisdom in all I do.
Out of my training and experience from working over a decade with couples came my R & R Relationship Repair program. This program is especially designed for those individuals who are committed to one another and who want improvement in their marriages. I don't diagnose or condemn others for their flaws (we are all growing!) but instead I become a student of both their strengths and areas for growth and find creative and strategic ways to help them to thrive as both individuals and as a couple. I have poured my research and passion into the R & R program and it's time effective, fun, and results-oriented!
Many of my clients have worked with me via individual a-la-carte sessions but I also offer monthly program where you can get more time with me so you can get relief much faster. This is especially helpful for those don't have the time to meet in person or aren't local since most of the time I do this program via phone or e-sessions. If you're looking for a good fit for your personality (totally important), personally, I am warm, friendly, nurturing and creative, and the rarest Enneagram personality type, the thinking Enneagram 7. I love laughing and being silly but also love going deep with people. In many of my couples sessions, my clients reflect on their deepest joys and sorrows, recognize their unhealthy patterns, and commit to trying out the new ideas we come up with together. This simple pattern allows for trusted growth with every step.
I also offer webinars for those who enjoy the teaching format via video. If you want to work with me on a monthly basis for a coaching program, I have limited slots available and am now accepting new clients! See our marriage coaching page for the details! For in-person work with me, you can complete our availability form below!
If you prefer reading, check out my books, RELATE: A Guide to Marriage and Relationship Repair and RELEASE: A Couple's Growth Workbook, my mother's devotional Messy Buns and Cartwheels, and for individuals, my e-book, The Overflowing Life: A Life Hack for the Overwhelmed & Overloaded also on Amazon.
Who am I behind the scenes? Well, I grew up in Detroit with three wonderful siblings (although we didn't think so then!) and two parents who were educators. My father had an MA in English Lit and instilled in me a love for writing and my mother was an elementary teacher and stay at home mother later, doing an awesome job even while dealing with mental health issues. Her strength and recovery inspired me to get into this field, to reduce stigma and to lend hope where there is none.
I am a huge Jane Austen, Mark Twain, Charles Dickens and Tolkien/Lewis lover and I love reading any of these authors again and again to glean from their incredible human studies and characterization. With my husband and friends, I love having intellectual and philosophical conversations but relationships and laughter are at the top of the list too of course! My guilty pleasure is to read classic children's books for fun also! All three of my kids even have middle names from English Literature characters.
For the day-to-day pleasure, I love baking and teaching my children, writing, podcasting, and I read almost non-stop.
Although I love living in a shire near the beach with my family, I am a major city girl at heart! A day in New York or Chicago is always welcome to me, and don’t get me started on how much I love mountains or Michigan in the Fall.
Well, now that you know all about me, I’d love to learn more about you! Looking forward to living life intentionally with you! Contact us here to set up with Christa or her team!