SPEAKING | TRAININGS
The kind of talk people are still thinking about on the drive home.
Melissa LaCour brings clinical depth, lived experience, and a direct voice to conferences, trainings, and professional development events across the country.
Melissa LaCour
LPC | SPEAKER | TRAINER | ADOPTEE
Not just a clinician. Someone who has lived it.
There is a difference between a speaker who has studied a topic and one who has lived inside it. Melissa LaCour is both — and that combination is what makes her talks land differently.
She is an adoptee doing adoption work. A former runner and athlete doing sports counseling. A person who has navigated career change, loss, and identity rebuilding in adulthood — doing life transitions work. The clinical knowledge is deep. The personal authenticity is undeniable.
Her approach is warm, direct, and never generic. Audiences leave with real insight, specific language, and a framework they can actually use — not a list of platitudes they will forget by Monday.
"The most important work a person can do is the work of knowing themselves. My job is to help the people in your audience understand why — and what to do about it."
— Melissa LaCour, LPC
KEYNOTES & TRAININGS
Four areas of deep expertise.
Each topic is available as a keynote, half-day training, full-day workshop, or multi-session professional development series. All can be adapted for in-person or virtual delivery.
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Adoption-Informed Care
What general clinical training misses about adoption — and why it matters. This training equips professionals with the frameworks, language, and clinical tools to work effectively with adoptees, adoptive families, biological parents, and all members of the adoption constellation. Drawing from the 7 Core Issues of Adoption and adoption-informed methodology developed through C.A.S.E. training, this is the training most clinicians never received but every one of them needs.
THERAPISTS & COUNSELORS | SOCIAL WORKERS | ADOPTION AGENCIES | EDUCATORS | FOSTER CARE ORGANIZATIONS -
The Mental Game in Athletics
Elite physical training without mental performance training is incomplete. This presentation covers performance anxiety, athlete identity, burnout, post-injury psychological response, and the realities of transitioning out of sport — from a therapist who is also a runner and competitor. Practical, direct, and grounded in both clinical research and lived athletic experience.
ATHLETIC DEPARTMENTS | COACHING STAFFS | STUDENT ATHLETES | SPORTS ORGANIZATIONS | COLLEGE PROGRAMS
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Identity, Self-Knowledge & Mental Health
he through-line connecting every presenting concern in therapy is the same: the question of identity. This keynote explores the relationship between self-knowledge and mental health outcomes — why people who understand themselves more fully build more resilient relationships, navigate transitions more effectively, and show up more authentically in every area of their lives. Applicable across clinical, corporate, and community settings.
MENTAL HEALTH CONFERENCES | CORPORATE WELLNESS | FAITH COMMUNITIES | LEADERSHIP PROGRAMS | GENERAL AUDIENCES
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Navigating Life Transitions
Major life transitions — career change, loss, divorce, parenthood, retirement — are among the most common reasons people seek mental health support. This presentation offers a clinical and personal framework for understanding why transitions are so destabilizing and what actually helps people move through them. Practical tools for organizations supporting employees and community members through change.
HR & PEOPLE TEAMS | EMPLOYEE ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS | COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS | HEALTHCARE SETTINGS | GENERAL AUDIENCES
CREDENTIALS & EXPERIENCE
The expertise behind the voice.
Melissa LaCour is a Licensed Professional Counselor with over seven years of clinical experience. Her speaking and training work is grounded in the same depth of knowledge and lived experience that defines her clinical practice.
She has completed adoption competency training through The Center for Adoption Support and Education (C.A.S.E.) — one of the most respected adoption-informed training organizations in the country. She is additionally trained in Trauma-Focused CBT, Functional Family Therapy, Trust-Based Relational Intervention, Attachment Trauma, and Sports Psychology & Counseling.
What distinguishes her as a speaker is the integration of clinical expertise with personal experience. She does not speak about adoption from the outside. She does not speak about athletic mental performance from a purely academic framework. She brings the inside view — and that changes how audiences receive the content.
M.A. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling
Licensed Professional Counselor — Louisiana #7708
Telehealth privileges — Georgia, Indiana, Minnesota, & Ohio
Adoption competency training through C.A.S.E. (Center for Adoption Support and Education)
Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT)
Trust-Based Relational Intervention (TBRI)
Specialized training in Attachment Trauma and Sports Psychology/Counseling
Personal adoptee experience — 7 Core Struggles framework
Marathon runner and competitive tennis player
PERSONALIZED FOR YOUR AUDIENCE
Every engagement is tailored to your organization, audience, and goals. No off-the-shelf presentations.
Delivery options built around your needs.
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Keynote
45–90 minutes. A single powerful session designed to open or anchor your conference, summit, or professional event. High-impact, memorable, and tailored to your theme.
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Half-Day Training
3–4 hours. Deeper content with interactive elements. Participants leave with frameworks and tools they can apply immediately in their professional practice or organization.
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Full-Day Workshop
6–8 hours. Comprehensive professional development with case studies, group work, and skill-building. Ideal for clinical teams, school districts, and organizational training days.
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Multi-Session Series
Multiple sessions over weeks or months. For organizations committed to sustained learning in adoption-informed care, athlete mental health, or identity-based practice.
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Panel & Moderation
Available as a panelist or moderator for conferences and professional events in mental health, adoption, athletics, and related fields.
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Virtual Delivery
All formats available virtually. Melissa is an experienced online presenter and adapts her delivery to ensure the same engagement and impact in a remote setting.
BOOK MELISSA
Let’s bring this work to your audience.
Whether you are planning a conference, a professional development day, a training for your clinical team, or a community event — I would love to talk about what is possible.
I am available for in-person engagements nationally and virtual presentations globally. Every inquiry receives a personal response within two business days.