About Dr. Meli
Dr. Melissa "Meli" Wasserman is a licensed clinical psychologist (PSY30983), researcher, speaker, and consultant specializing in trauma, resilience, and the ways life experiences shape our relationships, well-being, and sense of self. Her work focuses on helping individuals understand and heal from the effects of adversity while building the skills and strengths needed to thrive.
Dr. Meli has particular expertise in traumatic stress and the impact trauma can have on interpersonal relationships, including family, social, romantic, and workplace dynamics. She works with individuals navigating a range of experiences, including intergenerational trauma, relational trauma, war-related trauma and violence, civilian and military sexual trauma, and traumatic grief and loss.
Her approach is grounded in evidence-based, trauma-informed care and integrates both insight and practical tools to support meaningful change. Dr. Meli is trained in Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Families OverComing Under Stress (FOCUS), and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR).
While much of her work focuses on understanding trauma, her true passion lies in studying and cultivating resilience—the individual, relational, cultural, and community factors that help people heal, adapt, and grow in the face of life's challenges.
I’m Interested In:
Education & Professional Training
Dr. Meli earned her Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies from the University of California, Santa Barbara before completing both her Master's degree in Psychology and Doctor of Psychology (Psy.D.) in Clinical Psychology at Pepperdine University.
She completed her predoctoral internship at the UCLA Semel Institute and subsequently completed a two-year postdoctoral fellowship at UCLA's Nathanson Family Resilience Center, where she worked extensively with military service members, veterans, and their families. These experiences deepened her interest in resilience, family systems, trauma recovery, and the long-term impact of adversity across generations.
Research, Teaching & Leadership
In addition to her clinical practice, Dr. Meli serves as Assistant Professor of Psychology at Pepperdine University's Graduate School of Education and Psychology, where she teaches master's and doctoral-level students and helps train the next generation of mental health professionals.
She is the Director of the Trauma Risk and Resilience Research Lab (TRRL), where her research examines intergenerational trauma, resilience, and war-related trauma. She also serves as Co-Director of the Pepperdine Union Rescue Mission Counseling Center, a community-based mental health training clinic dedicated to expanding access to care for unhoused undividuals while providing clinical training opportunities for graduate students.
Through her research, teaching, clinical work, and consulting, Dr. Meli remains committed to understanding how individuals, families, organizations, and communities respond to adversity—and the factors that foster healing, resilience, and growth.
Professional Affiliations & Community Service
Dr. Meli is a member of the International Society for the Study of Traumatic Stress, the Society of Indian Psychologists, the Society for Jewish Psychologists, Psychologists Against Antisemitism, and Psi Chi International Honor Society in Psychology.
She also serves on the Board of Directors for If You Heard What I Heard, a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving Holocaust survivor stories, combating antisemitism, and advancing Holocaust education for future generations.
