About Groundwork Trauma Education
Groundwork Trauma Education was created for therapists ready to practice in a way that actually feels like them.
Most trainings teach you what to do. Groundwork is about how you show up.
This is a space to slow down, think clearly, and develop the kind of clinical confidence that comes not from memorizing protocols — but from learning to trust yourself in the room. At some point in your work, things start to click. You realize you know more than you think you do. You stop trying to do therapy the right way and start responding to what is actually happening in front of you.
Groundwork exists to support that shift.
We Do Things Differently
This is not about abandoning training or structure. It is about loosening the grip of rigid ways of working that keep therapists disconnected from their own instincts, their clients, and the work itself. Because the truth is, much of what has shaped this field was not built with flexibility, creativity, or client-led work in mind. And many therapists feel it.
Here, we do something different. Groundwork is a space where curiosity matters more than certainty, where your voice and your way of working are not only welcome but necessary — and where you are supported in growing into the kind of therapist you know you are capable of becoming.
Meet Our Team
Groundwork Trauma Education is led by Melanie Reese, LMFT, and brings together a community of skilled trauma-focused clinicians who teach continuing education courses throughout the year. Each instructor is selected for their clinical depth, integrity, and commitment to advancing trauma-informed care. Together, we offer trainings designed to support therapists at every stage of their professional growth.
Melanie Reese, LMFT, CCTP
A Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, AAMFT Approved Supervisor, and Certified Clinical Trauma Professional.
Shea Wingate, LCSW, Certified Grief Professional
A licensed clinical social worker and certified grief professional who draws on both clinical practice and lived loss. Shea helps clinicians meet grief with confidence and compassion.
Amanda Kimbrell, LPC-MHSP
An EMDR Certified therapist and EMDRIA-Approved Consultant who helps clinicians meet trauma and dissociation with both skill and presence.
Nora Cheney, MSN, APRN, PMHNP-BC
A Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner and KAP specialist who brings the medical and psychiatric perspective essential to safe, effective ketamine-assisted psychotherapy.
Leah Lennox, PhD, LPC-MHSP
A licensed professional counselor and PhD specializing in disability-affirming care, drawing on both clinical expertise and lived experience to help clinicians work with the whole person.
