Dr. Melton

Background

Dr. Michelle Melton, Psy.D., is a clinical psychologist, educator, and equity-centered leader with experience advancing mental health, education, and systemic change across clinical, academic, and federal settings. She currently serves as President of the Arizona Psychological Association. As President, Dr. Melton has provided strategic leadership to enhance the Association’s organizational culture, foster collaborative relationships with external stakeholders, and advance the visibility and influence of psychology throughout the state.

She has also served as the Program Manager for Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access (I*DEA) at the Southern Arizona VA Health Care System. In this role, she led strategic initiatives that embedded DEI into organizational infrastructure, improved workforce engagement, and strengthened health equity. Additionally, she supported national DEI strategy as a Portfolio Manager in the Office of the Chief Diversity Officer at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

Dr. Melton is the founder and owner of Melton Psychology Group, where she facilitates professional workshops focused on multicultural competence, racial trauma, and mental health equity. She brings extensive experience in academic training, having directed clinical psychology training programs and taught doctoral-level courses.

Dr. Melton co-authored "Addressing Race-Based Stress in Therapy with Black Clients: A Practical Guide" (Routledge, 2021) and presents widely on culturally responsive care, inclusive supervision, and trauma recovery. Known for her dynamic speaking and thought leadership, she continues to advocate for healing-centered systems that reflect the diverse communities they serve.

Approach & Practice Philosphy

Whether I’m working with individuals, community groups, or organizations, my practice is anchored in one guiding principle: healing and transformation happen in relationship—within ourselves, with one another, and through the systems we inhabit. My role is to create a space where that transformation can begin, deepen, and sustain.

With Individuals

I approach therapy as a collaborative and culturally responsive space where you can show up as your full self—without needing to perform, protect, or explain your humanity. My style is warm, direct, and attuned to the lived realities of navigating a complex world, especially for those carrying intergenerational trauma, racial stress, or invisible labor. Together, we’ll explore how patterns, beliefs, and pain have served you—and how you might release what no longer does. I work not just to reduce symptoms, but to help you reclaim connection, purpose, and power.

Core values in individual work:

Compassion without judgment
Identity-affirming care
Centering liberation alongside healing
Honoring strength and vulnerability as coexisting truths

With Groups & Communities

Facilitating healing in community requires deep listening, cultural humility, and courageous truth-telling. Whether I am guiding a professional development retreat, moderating a restorative circle, or leading a support space after racialized harm, I hold space with care and clarity. I understand how trauma, power, and silence operate in groups—and work to interrupt patterns of harm while nurturing trust and accountability.

Core values in community work:

Centering marginalized voices
Creating emotionally safe and brave spaces
Grounding dialogue in dignity, not debate
Cultivating connection, clarity, and shared meaning

With Organizations

My organizational consulting is driven by a belief that systems can—and must—be restructured to reflect the people they serve. I bring psychological insight and strategic leadership to help organizations move beyond optics and toward authentic, equity-rooted transformation. I don’t offer one-size-fits-all solutions. I help institutions identify their own patterns, tensions, and blind spots—and guide them through the often uncomfortable, but necessary, work of change.

Core values in organizational work:

Equity as strategy, not sentiment
Aligning mission, culture, and policy
Psychological safety as a business imperative
Leading with both empathy and accountability