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 A Greeting from Dr. Melissa | she/her
Registered ​Psychologist (AB & BC). Associate Professor.
​Owner/Director: Canmore Counselling & the Trauma-Informed Yoga Psychology School

Hello, I am Melissa!

As a registered psychologist, associate professor, yoga teacher & lifelong learner, I love empowering people to live fully.

I have earned my Ph.D., Master of Counselling, & Bachelor of Arts in Psychology. With a keen interest in ancient wisdom traditions, community care, authenticity, well-being & relationships, I believe that in order to care for others, we must also care for ourselves. 

Drawing on an integrative & client-centred approach to counselling, I offer individual, family & couples counselling and am the creator of the Trauma-Informed Yoga Psychology School, and offer Community-Based offerings. 

In 2014, Michael and I opened Canmore Counselling & we are so grateful that over the years Dr. Amélie, Carolyn, Alex, Anissa, Chey, Simmi, Oana, Kelsey, Michelle, Dr. Jessica, Gurmukh, and Nicole  have joined our counselling & wellness team.  As a team we are dedicated to destigmatizing mental health & offering trauma-informed community care. ​

In 2019, we opened the Trauma-Informed Yoga Psychology School which is dedicated to supporting deep personal growth and education to support budding and well-established yoga teachers and their communities. This passion project has offered me an opportunity to work alongside some of my favourite people, who have joined us as faculty, and connect with some of my new favourite people, our students. #grateful

My mantra for many years has been: Be who you needed when you were younger, and it through my yoga psychology studentship that I deepen my connection to myself and lead from my heart. 

​As an Indigenous woman, I believe we can all advocate for equity and justice by cultivating relationships and learning from others. I am deeply dedicated to my own personal development as a way to support myself and those I walk alongside. I have my own counsellor, am continuing my yoga studentship & am grateful to have support from Elders/Knowledge Keepers and mentors.  

Looking forward to connecting with you!

With goodness,  
Melissa | she/her
Please note: Melissa's fee will increase to $235/hour as of September 1st, 2025. 
Models & Theories I Integrate:
Attachment-Based Therapy
Mindfulness-Based Theories
Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR)
Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT)
Solution-Focused Therapy
Body Awareness
Yoga Philosophy 
Trauma Center's Trauma-Sensitive Yoga (TCTSY)
I am grateful to support:
Individuals
Families
Yoga Students
Supervisees
Indigenous Communities​
BIPOC & 2SLGBTQ+ Communities
School Staff & Students
Buisnesses & Associations

Canmore Location:

109-705 10th Street Canmore, AB T1W2A3
We're next to Communitea & Vermelho, 
​on the corner of 10th St. and 6th Ave.

Established in 2014.
​Copyright © 2026 by
Dr. Melissa Jay is an Indigenous, nehiyaw-Métis member of the Métis Nation of Alberta. The primary location of Canmore Counselling and Trauma-Informed Yoga Psychology School is located in Chuwapchipchiyan Kudi Bi (translated from Îyârhe Nakoda as “shooting at the willows”), colonially known as Canmore. We are grateful to be located on Treaty 7 territory and the current and ancestral lands of the Îyârhe Nakoda (Stoney Nakoda), which includes of the Bearspaw First Nation, Chiniki First Nation, and Goodstoney First Nation, as well as the Tsuut’ina First Nation and the Blackfoot Confederacy, including the Siksika First Nation, Piikani First Nation, and Kainai First Nation. This is also the home to the Rocky View Métis District 4 within the Battle River Territory. We recognize all Nations who continue to nurture these lands, and we are dedicated to uplifting Truth, language, and culture as essential to right relations. As an act of reconciliation and commitment to decolonization, we are committed to the TRC's Calls to Action. 

At Canmore Counselling, we are also privileged to be yoga students, practitioners, and guides. Our offerings centre on the root of yoga as Indigenous to South Asia, and we are grateful to learn from and amplify the South Asian practitioners and teachers whenever possible. We are grateful for the eight limbs of yoga, as taught by Patanjali. It is a joy to walk alongside our incredible alumni of the Trauma-Informed Yoga Psychology School as they create opportunities for care, connection & curiosity within their communities. 

We believe wholeheartedly that trauma-informed care requires commitment to community, social justice, decolonization, anti-oppression, and anti-racism. Thank you for being here :)​