Melissa Barosela, LMHC, QS, NCC

Melissa Barosela is a retired Major with the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office, where she dedicated over 29 years of service to the largest sheriff’s agency in the southeastern United States. During her tenure, she was responsible for the oversight of the Crisis Response Unit, the Threat Management Unit, the Victim Advocate Program, the Crisis and Hostage Negotiation Team, and the Psychological Services Section. Under her direction, the department developed one of the most comprehensive mental wellness programs in law enforcement, offering individual, couples, and group counseling, psychoeducational services, crisis and suicide intervention, and critical incident response. She spearheaded the creation of the pioneering Crisis Response Unit, designed to respond to community mental health crises, and significantly expanded the mental health services available to employees of the agency during her tenure.

In addition to her law enforcement career, Melissa has been a Licensed Mental Health Counselor in Florida for more than 17 years. She is a National Certified Counselor, as well as a Qualified Supervisor in Florida, providing supervision to registered interns pursuing licensure as Mental Health Counselors and/or Marriage and Family Therapists. Melissa has taught numerous courses on both law enforcement mental health and crisis response and is frequently invited to serve as a subject matter expert on panels and professional forums.

Her professional involvement includes participation in the Major Cities Chiefs Association Psychological Services Group, the International Association of Chiefs of Police Psychological Services Section, and the Officer Wellness Symposiums. She is also an active or past member of numerous regional and national law enforcement organizations, including the Florida Association of Hostage Negotiators, the National Tactical Officers Association, the Police Benevolent Association, the Hispanic Police Officers Association, the Miami-Dade County Association of Chiefs of Police, the Florida Police Chiefs Association, the International Association of Chiefs of Police, the Florida Sheriff’s Association, and the National Association of Women Law Enforcement Executives.

Melissa also served as Board Member of the Miami-Dade County Behavioral Health Advisory Board and Thriving Mind South Florida, the managing entity for the Florida Department of Children and Families’ mental health services for uninsured residents of Miami-Dade County.

Melissa graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of Florida with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and minors in Sociology and Education. She later earned her Master of Science in Counseling, also Summa Cum Laude, from Barry University. She remains deeply committed to integrating her expertise as both a sworn law enforcement officer and a licensed mental health professional to enhance officer wellness, improve crisis response and mental health services for the broader community, and support her brothers and sisters in law enforcement and the fire service.