Pia (Shafer) Mellody |
| Posted 2025-08-03 by Pat R |
| Wickenburg Sun (Wickenburg, Arizona) Wednesday, July 9, 2025, p. A-4 Pia Mellody, a pioneering therapist and internationally recognized authority on codependence and trauma recovery, passed away surrounded by her family at her home in Colorado on May 7. Pia was born in 1942 in San Francisco, Calif., to parents Joe and Jane Shafer. Pia had three siblings, Nancy, Pete, and Pam. Pia's family lived in Palos Verde, Calif., before moving to upstate New York where Pia graduated from high school. Pia returned to California to pursue a nursing degree. After obtaining her bachelor of nursing, Pia moved to Wickenburg with her family in 1974. Pia worked at the Wickenburg Hospital for several years before she got a job working as a nurse at The Meadows treatment center in Wickenburg. It was at The Meadows where Pia started her groundbreaking work that profoundly influenced the treatment of addiction and emotional dysfunction. Pia wrote several books, including "Facing Codependence," Facing Love Addiction," and "The Intimacy Factor," which introduced transformative concepts that reshaped how clinicians understand and address the effects of childhood trauma on adult relationships and self-esteem. Her developmental model of immaturity, which she developed through years of clinical experience, has been widely adopted in trauma-informed care. Pia's professional legacy endures through the individuals and professionals whose lives were touched by her work. Pia's personal legacy lives on through her children, Jane (Marcel), Tim (Marina), Ben and Daniel; as well as her grandchildren, Hannah, Cassidy, Jack, Drew, Joshua, Chase, Caitlin, Savannah, Zoe, Jacob, Chloe, John and Grace. Her family is proud of Pia's professional accomplishments, and cherishes their memories of her as a wise, generous, supportive, and loving mother. Pia loved the desert around Wickenburg, watching westerns and her family. The family is planning a private memorial service in Colorado. |
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