About Melissa
Melissa Guarnaccia is a licensed clinical social worker with 11 years of experience. She uses practical, action-focused methods to help people manage anxiety, stress, and relationship worries. Her approach is warm and nonjudgmental while also guiding clients toward concrete steps they can try between sessions.
Melissa draws on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) to help people change unhelpful thinking and build a life that matches their values.
Background and approach
She emphasizes skills that reduce anxious thoughts, improve mood, and ease family tension. Sessions focus on clear goals and small experiments to check what works. Her background includes work in hospital and school settings as well as independent practice.
This variety shaped a practical style that fits everyday life demands. She also has experience supporting parents with common parenting challenges and has led community workshops using the Parenting with Love and Logic curriculum.
Melissa earned a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a Master of Social Work from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. She holds the SC LISW-CP and NC LCSW credentials. She lives in North Carolina with her family and enjoys outdoor activities and travel.
In sessions she focuses on small, doable steps that fit a client's routine. Many conversations cover coping strategies, values-based choices, and ways to reduce conflict at home. Therapy is a collaborative process where progress is built one step at a time.
How ACT and CBT are used in online therapy
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) teaches skills to notice thoughts and feelings without getting ruled by them, then choose actions that match personal values. It can help with anxiety, low mood, and decisions about relationships and parenting.Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) focuses on identifying unhelpful thought patterns and changing behaviors that keep problems going. CBT is often used for anxiety, stress, and mood concerns by practicing new ways of thinking and small behavior changes.
Finding the right approach is part of the therapeutic process. The therapist works with each person to decide whether ACT, CBT, or a blend fits their goals and preferences. That choice can be adjusted over time based on how sessions are going and what the person wants to achieve.
Online sessions are offered by licensed professionals using video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging. Video allows face-to-face conversation and screen-sharing for worksheets. Phone sessions work well when bandwidth or camera time is limited. Live chat and text messaging offer quick check-ins, brief coaching, or a shorter format for reflective work. These options make it easier to fit therapy into a busy schedule and try approaches that suit daily life.
Questions people ask
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What this therapist works with
Most often
- Stress, Anxiety
- Family conflicts
- Self esteem
Also listed
- Anger management
- Bipolar disorder
- Career difficulties
- Depression
- Eating disorders
- Grief
- Intimacy-related issues
- Relationship issues
- Trauma and abuse
Therapeutic approaches
- Experience
- 11 years
- Licensed
- North Carolina, South Carolina
- Languages
- English
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