Alissa Meredith has been a member of the faculty of the University of Santa Monica since 1999.  She has served as a Faculty Reader Leader in the First Year class and a Faculty Project Report Reader in the Second Year class.

Licensed as a Marriage and Family Therapist in California, Alissa maintains a private practice in the North County area of San Diego.  Her specialties include assisting people in times of transition, expressive arts, women’s issues, EMDR, and Brainspotting.

Alissa received a Master of Arts degree in Counseling Psychology from the University of Santa Monica in the first graduating class.  She has completed post-graduate training in Expressive Arts Therapy from the Sky Mountain Institute in Escondido, California.  She is also trained in EMDR, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing and Brainspotting, both of which are effective techniques for treating trauma. She is a Clinical Member of the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists.

Alissa received a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Kirkland College.  She spent her senior year studying humanistic psychology at the University of the New World in Switzerland where she completed her thesis on Bioenergetics.  She also received a Master of Science degree in Physical Therapy from Texas Women’s University.  While at TWU she was honored with an American College Scientist Scholarship. 

Alissa’s professional background includes more than 20 years of practicing as a Registered Physical Therapist.  Through her work as a physical therapist, Alissa has extensive experience teaching and motivating people who are experiencing chronic illness, pain, and various disabilities. She has created a program in Pelvic Physical Therapy. She was twice honored by Scripps Hospital as a Caring Specialist.   She brings the compassion, patience, encouragement, and humor that she utilizes as a physical therapist to her work in psychotherapy.

Alissa lives in Vista, California, with her husband Gordon, their dog Hero, and their horse Ruahh.  She loves hiking, dancing, gardening, and reading murder mysteries.