About Melissa
Melissa Cumella is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) practicing in Arizona. She has five years of professional experience helping people who feel overwhelmed by stress, anxiety, low self-esteem, or depression. She approaches therapy as a collaborative process and respects each person as the expert on their own life.
She focuses on small, practical changes that build confidence and motivation. Sessions often start by identifying clear, manageable goals. She then works with clients to practice new skills that make everyday situations feel more doable.
Background and approach
Melissa uses straightforward tools drawn from cognitive behavioral therapy and dialectical behavior therapy to help people manage intense emotions and unhelpful thinking. She teaches coping strategies and problem-solving steps that can be used between sessions. The aim is steady progress rather than quick fixes.
Her style is warm and direct. She listens for strengths you already have and helps you apply them to current struggles. Many people find this approach helpful when they are coping with life changes, grief, trauma, or career stress.
Work can include skill-building for handling anger, improving eating-related concerns, and addressing compassion fatigue. She also supports people dealing with parenting stress and the ripple effects of past abuse. Therapy plans are tailored to fit each person’s needs and pace.
CBT and DBT approaches for online support
Melissa uses cognitive behavioral therapy to help people notice and change unhelpful thoughts and behaviors. CBT breaks problems into manageable parts and teaches practical steps to test new ways of thinking and acting, which can reduce anxiety and depressive patterns.She also uses dialectical behavior therapy skills to help manage intense emotions and improve interpersonal effectiveness. DBT techniques include emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and mindfulness exercises that can be practiced between sessions to help during high-stress moments.
Finding the best approach is collaborative. The therapist will listen to your goals and try different tools to see what fits. Together you'll set clear goals and adjust strategies based on progress and preferences.
Online sessions are offered by video call, phone, live chat, or text-based messaging to make ongoing work more accessible. Video calls are useful for a traditional session feel, phone sessions can be easier when bandwidth is limited, and messaging or live chat support brief check-ins or skill practice between meetings. These options aim to provide flexibility so therapy can fit into busy schedules and changing needs.
Questions people ask
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What this therapist works with
Most often
- Stress, Anxiety
- Self esteem
- Career difficulties
Also listed
- Anger management
- Compassion fatigue
- Coping with life changes
- Depression
- Eating disorders
- Grief
- Parenting issues
- Trauma and abuse
Therapeutic approaches
- Experience
- 5 years
- Licensed
- Arizona
- Languages
- English
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