Melinda Szilva
Low Vision Rehabilitation Counsellor, Registered Psychotherapist
Email: mmszilva@uwaterloo.ca
Phone: 519-888-4567 x46763
Biography
Dr. Melinda Szilva is a Registered Psychotherapist at the University of Waterloo School of Optometry & Vision Science in Waterloo, Ontario. She holds a PhD in Human Relationships (Spiritual Care & Psychotherapy) from Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario. Her research is centred on the impact of visual impairment on self-concept and identity in adults with acquired vision loss, technology for people with visual impairment, and low vision driving programs in Ontario. Melinda is also a Co-PI on a project focused on the ocular manifestations of Long COVID.
Melinda has extensive professional experience in counselling, not-for-profit management, student services, and assisting clients living with chronic illness and disabilities navigate complex and unfamiliar systems. As a clinical counselling supervisor, in 2018 Melinda created a clinical internship for psychotherapy and social work students in providing vision related psychotherapy and supports.
Research interests
- Psychosocial Aspects of Vision Loss
- Low Vision Rehabilitation
- Self-Concept and Acquired Vision Loss
- Disability
Education
- PhD (Wilfrid Laurier University)
- MTS (Wilfrid Laurier University)
- BA (Carleton University)
Professional associations
- Canadian Clinical Supervisor, Certified Canadian Counsellor, Canadian Counselling & Psychotherapy Association
- Professional Member, American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy
- Fellow Member, Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired (AER) Rehabilitation Counseling and Employment Professional Division
Clinical Supervision
The Waterloo Eye Institute in the School of Optometry & Vision Science is pleased to offer a Clinical Internship Program for counselling students. The goal of the program is to provide a dynamic supervised clinical practicum for counselling students in Canada while also equipping them with specialized skills and experience in working with clients with vision loss. This will help fill a need for the growing number of Canadians with vision loss seeking psychotherapy.