Dr. Melissa Soto

About the Doctor

Hello! Welcome! Before telling you about myself, I would like to share with you the approach and methodologies I work with, so that you can make an informed decision about your therapeutic and development space. I studied a Bachelor's in Psychology at the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Faculty of Psychology. After a while, I trained as a Person-Centered Psychotherapist, and as a Child-Centered Play Therapist at the Facultad de Estudios Iztacala under the academic mentorship of Gaby Delgado - who was in turn trained by Juan Lafarga, a pioneer of Humanism in Mexico. I decided to train as a psychotherapist after volunteering during the Syrian and Libyan refugee crisis in Austria, Finland, and Germany, where I completed my first master's degree in Education Management. Although I didn't "know" how to provide therapeutic care to them, I discovered my capacity for listening and presence to be able to facilitate a space where they felt safe and where they could express their feelings. During this stage of my life I trained in Nonviolent Communication with teachers such as Irmtraud Kauschat (in Germany), Sandra Caselato and Yuri Haasz (in Brazil), Sarah Peyton, Arnina Kashtan, and Miki Kashtan (in virtual formats). I am a graduate of the first cohort of the Professional Online Training in Compassionate Inquiry in Spanish, from Dr. Gabor Mate and Sat Dharam Kaur ND. I have attended live lectures with Dan Siegel, Janina Fisher, Tara Brach, and Dr. Gabor Mate himself, among other mental health scholars. I have independently studied Somatic Experiencing (Peter Levine), Internal Family Systems (Richard Schwartz), Polyvagal Theory (Deb Dana, Stephen Porges), Somatic Abolitionism (Resmaa Menakem). I am currently in the process of graduating from the Master's in Gestalt with Dra. Pilar Ocampo; my thesis covers the development of best practices for Psychotherapy in its Remote/Online/Video call format. Thus, my practice incorporates the Person-Centered Approach with: - Gestalt - Compassionate Inquiry - Somatic Experiencing - Internal Family Systems - Polyvagal Theory - Somatic Abolitionism That said, you can expect the following: 1. A space where we will create a therapeutic relationship in which you feel confident and safe to be yourself. 2. We will explore topics that trigger you, intrigue you, or even that you enjoy. Psychotherapy is not only for what hurts, it is also to celebrate what makes you live in fullness and harmony. 3. I will share with you, when necessary, what is happening at the level of your nervous system, neurobiology, and/or socioeconomic context to promote a view of greater understanding. 4. The goal of this space is not to "remove the bad/change you" but for you to be able to look at yourself with respect, dignity, love, and responsibility in such a way that you can decide with greater clarity about your life. 5. Our exploration will cover what you feel, what you think, what you say, and what you do, with an important bodily, experiential, somatic approach, meaning we will not only talk, I will also accompany you to explore in depth what you experience in the body. 6. If you need advisory sessions (e.g. vocational guidance, accompaniment, mediation) the approach may possibly be more directive to support decision-making. 7. A cross-cultural accompaniment that looks at the intersections of privilege and the most urgent issues of our society (climate change, climate resilience, racism, classism, gender, culture, etc). What not to expect? X That I tell you what to do or what not to do. X That things change suddenly. X That it be a process in which only I am responsible. X That you have no emotions such as pain, anger, sadness, or fear. Duration Each person's process is different; while I have had clients who only come for one or two months on a weekly basis, some have decided to stay for years to give themselves a space in their lives where they can understand, attend to, and explore themselves. How does that sound? Are you up for it? - I will be very happy to meet you and accompany you! About Mel, the person -------- I have always been a curious woman. The kind that from a young age wanted to learn more, understand more, participate more, and grow more. That's why my story has different settings, professional and personal, that have helped keep my curiosity always alive. I have been in physical settings that cross the border of where I was born and that have made me the person I am. To Mexico I owe my roots, my basic education, and my career as a psychologist and psychotherapist; to Germany my years as a student and my Master in Business Administration and Management; to the United States my first professional experiences, leading growth spaces for participants of the National Youth Science Foundation, when I was barely 19 years old; to China, and my adventure traveling alone in Asia, resilience, courage, and connecting with people with a look. I have discovered that there is a common thread that moves me in every aspect of my life and that makes me a woman with a clear purpose. I accompany processes to create a world of growth, that is compassionate, empathetic, and sustainable. I have done it through my work with my clients, small and large, in my humanistic psychotherapy sessions. My humanistic approach, of generating trust in spaces and accompanying processes, has made me a profile that has the technical knowledge and essentially human skills that help facilitate these spaces. I believe that all people can grow, be more compassionate and empathetic, and that if we achieve this we can build a more sustainable environment, with greater respect for what surrounds us. That's why I am also passionate about contributing through volunteering and constant action in different organizations. I am currently part of the Global Shapers, an initiative of the World Economic Forum. My curiosity has turned me into this woman who does not stop, who is aware of her privilege, who understands the importance of active listening, and who embraces each moment of the day as a reminder of all the good that surrounds us. I really like my life and I will continue enjoying it from a self that recognizes other people, their value, and that wishes to keep building in the plural. I look forward to seeing you in our psychotherapeutic space.

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