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Speaking Engagements

Creating conversations that inform, inspire, and foster resilience.

Check out Dr. Meli’s Research for a complete list of oral presentations and lectures.

Through a unique combination of clinical expertise, research, and real-world experience, Dr. Meli helps audiences understand not only the impact of adversity, but also the factors that foster healing, growth, and resilience. Dr. Meli has been an invited presenter for organizations including the American Psychological Association, UCLA, Pepperdine University, Holocaust Museum Los Angeles, and professional associations across the country. Her presentations are known for blending scientific insight, compelling storytelling, and practical application, leaving audiences informed, inspired, and empowered to take meaningful action.

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Popular Speaking Topics:

  • Intergenerational Trauma and Resilience

    • Understanding how trauma and resilience are transmitted across generations.

  • Burnout, Stress, and Resilience

    • Practical strategies for individuals and organizations.

  • Collective Trauma and Community Healing

    • How communities respond to adversity and loss.

  • Professionals in High-Stress Jobs

    • Supporting professionals in demanding environments.

  • Cultural Identity, History, and Healing

    • The role of culture and lived experience in resilience.

Audiences I Speak To:

  • Healthcare organizations

  • Universities

  • Professional associations

  • Mental health professionals

  • Military and veteran communities

  • Corporate teams

  • Community organizations

Bring Dr. Meli to Your Organization or Event

Whether you're planning a conference, leadership retreat, university event, professional training, community program, or keynote presentation, Dr. Meli can customize content to meet the needs of your audience.

Holocaust Museum LA

Intergenerational Trauma in Second and Third-Generation Holocaust Survivors

Dr. Melissa Wasserman, will explore intergenerational and historical trauma, discuss how prolonged trauma reverberates across generations, and summarize risk and resilience factors in Holocaust families. Moderated by Lisa Ansell, Associate Director of the USC Casden Institute.

UCLA STAR Seminar

Risk and resilience in second- and third-generation Holocaust survivors

In this seminar, Dr. Meli discusses how continuous and prolonged trauma reverberates across multiple systems, summarizes risk and resilience factors in holocaust families, and identifies how family functioning can moderate the impact of inner generational trauma.

UCLA STAR Seminar

Building Resilience During Reintegration: Utilizing a Community Participatory Approach in the Development of a Transition Program for Veterans and their Families.

In this seminar, Dr. Meli discusses the challenges that accompany the military to civilian transition, how the use of a community participatory approach, guided the program, development and evaluation of the Transition, Education and Mentoring (TEAM) program, explains TEAM, a program designed to help veterans and their families through times of transition and change, and describes how the community can best assist veterans during, and after their transition to civilian life.