Melissa Allen (she/her)

Melissa is a full-time counseling faculty member teaching human development courses
and providing counseling services to students at North Seattle College. Her interest in
human development and interpersonal relationships began as a young child of a
blended family. Melissa grew up in the Pacific Northwest but spent her summers as a
child and adolescent traveling to Tokyo and Hong Kong to visit her father. After
graduating from UC Berkeley in 2011 with a bachelor’s degree in rhetoric, Melissa spent
eight years working in education, community mental health, and professional
development. She returned to school in 2019 to complete her master’s in counseling
psychology at Bastyr University. Having spent several years working in K-12 public
schools, Melissa was eager to practice as a counselor in a school setting. She
completed her 10-month practicum at the Bellevue College Counseling Center where
she enjoyed working with students on stress management, emotion regulation,
relationship issues, career and educational concerns, and personal development. Her
teaching philosophy is strengths-based and community-oriented – she strives to honor the
knowledge and skills that students bring into the classroom and create a space in which
everyone can enjoy learning from one another. In her free time, Melissa enjoys practicing
yoga, playing guitar, reading, writing, being in nature, spending time with friends and
family, and walking her dog, Joey.