I had the great privilege of being supervised by Melissa Petrillo for two years. Having Melissa as my supervisor has been invaluable for my development as a clinician. Melissa possesses a wealth of knowledge regarding trauma informed care that I was fortunate enough to access every meeting. She helped me remain calm during client crises and implement the most appropriate decision for each case. Melissa focused on my strengths as a clinician, which fostered my own decision-making skills. She was a constant support for me during these years as I obtained my LMHC. I’ve taken her nuggets of wisdom with me, and it will remain the foundation of my clinical practice.

Melissa is a true gem in the nonprofit and counseling sector. Her clinical abilities can only be described as brilliant, and her ability to see needs and “the why” around client care is second to none. As a supervisor, she adeptly navigates the ability to challenge and support her developing staff, which radiates a type of growth only dreamed about.

But this is not what makes her so truly unique in our field. Melissa’s ability to challenge professionals to think differently regarding client care, programmatic design, and cutting edge treatment is a true testament to her professional values and expertise. Whether through ongoing consultation, thorough program development, or a total revamp of services, Melissa will leave you truly embodying trauma-informed care that will leave your staff, administration, and clients better for it. I would surmise their is no one doing the type of development work she is capable of not just locally, but anywhere.

She is the consummate professional, a gift to learn from and collaborate with, and everyone, from clients to staff, are better off from their interactions with her.

I have known and worked with Melissa Petrillo for more than five years. The guidance and support that I have gotten from Melissa as a supervisor and mentor has been exceptional. Her willingness to share her knowledge as well as at times pushing me in the right direction, even when that direction was not a place that I would have gone on my own, was what I needed to succeed. She had faith in my abilities and provided encouragement when I needed it and reality when I needed that too. No one enjoys getting critiqued, but Melissa’s suggestions, leadership and accurate advice helped me to build my own self confidence to accomplish my career goals.

I have learned and continue to learn many things from Melissa. She is always there to offer advice or simply be a sounding board so that I, or anyone else she works with, can find the answers in ourselves. I have observed her in situations where others may not be able to manage with such patience and kindness. Being in this field can be difficult and having a support who understands as well as encourages you to be the best you can is an invaluable resource.