About Melissa
photo credit : In Her Image Photography
Melissa Fritchle – Soul Guide
I have a Masters degree in Holistic Counseling Psychology and built a private practice focused on Sex Therapy & Trauma Healing as a licensed therapist for over 10 years. I am a respected teacher and clinical supervisor in that field and have taught as core faculty & adjunct faculty for Bay Area graduate schools and at conferences worldwide, including the Congress for the World Association of Sexual Health. It is from that foundation that my work as a Soul Guide radiates out…
I have studied Buddhist Psychology, Non-Dualism and various forms of meditation and prayer practice. I am a current student of the Radiance Sutras. In one of the highlights of my life, I was invited to Maui for a private one on one retreat with Ram Dass and deepened my commitment to working with the Soul and present moment awareness. In 2018 I became a Certified Mindfulness Meditation Teacher. I have completed a Mindfulness Coaching certificate and teach secular mindfulness practices for groups, including courses for Stanford’s Healthy Living Program.
Deeply engaged in the sex-positive sexual health field I have traveled internationally to present inclusive sexual health curriculum. In 2011 I was awarded a Sexual Intelligence Award based on my work in Uganda. I speak frequently on podcasts and contribute to online media. My first book The Conscious Sexual Self Workbook started as a weekly blog & was published in 2014 and continues to be used as a readings for Human Sexuality courses.
I have been engaged in somatic healing & expressive arts practices for many years. In my twenties, I was a massage therapist and experienced the ways people’s emotions and experiences are expressed through their bodies. I have practiced 5Rhythms dance practice, an ecstatic dance meditation since the 1990s. I was a presenter at the International Expressive Arts Therapy Association’s conference in Peru. I utilize photography, movement, and writing with clients, and myself, for self-awareness and expression.
My call to connect to the natural world has been a constant in my life. Through that yearning, I completed certification in EcoMinistry through Seminary of the Wild & am currently a guide for the yearlong program at Center For Wild Spirituality. I have also learned to use ritual to stay connected to the seasonality of our lives and am Co-Founder of Our Sacred Circle, a private women’s circle with quarterly retreats to honor nature and the life transitions, which has been together for over 16 years. I am ordained to marry people through American Marriage Ministries.
To book Melissa for interviews, speaking engagements or podcasts, email directly : melissa@embody-connect.com