About Melissa
Melissa Cooper is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) practicing in Florida with 17 years of experience. She began her career as a school counselor working mainly with middle and high school students and their parents, and later moved into broader mental health practice.
She focuses on common struggles such as stress and anxiety and brings a calm, respectful manner to each session. Her style is straightforward and warm. She listens first and tailors conversations to each person's needs.
Background and approach
Sessions aim to clarify what's getting in the way and build small, doable steps to feel better. Melissa uses practical tools alongside open conversation so clients leave with concrete strategies. She draws from client-centered work to make people feel heard and from cognitive behavioral ideas to address unhelpful thoughts and behaviors.
That mix helps with things like low self-esteem, motivation, and coping with life changes. Melissa also supports people dealing with grief, trauma and abuse, and compassion fatigue. Her background includes work with parenting concerns, relationship and family problems, and issues tied to ADHD, eating, anger, and depression.
Additional focus areas include aging and geriatric issues, autism and Asperger syndrome, chronic illness and pain, and caregiver stress. Melissa approaches each person with sensitivity, respect, and compassion. She will shape the plan together with the client and move at a comfortable pace.
Taking the first step can feel hard, and she acknowledges that courage while helping people set practical goals.
How her approaches translate to online therapy
Client-Centered Therapy focuses on listening and understanding each person's experience. In practice she offers space for people to tell their story, reflect on values, and make decisions that fit their life. This approach helps when someone needs acceptance and clearer direction.Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) looks at the link between thoughts, feelings, and actions. She uses CBT techniques to identify unhelpful thinking patterns and to build small behavior changes that reduce anxiety and improve mood. This is useful for stress, anxiety, low self-esteem, and coping with life changes.
Finding the right approach is a team effort. She will talk with clients about goals and preferences and then try methods that match those needs. If something isn’t working, the plan is adjusted together so progress stays practical and achievable.
Online formats include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging. Video is useful for fuller conversation and seeing nonverbal cues. Phone sessions work well when bandwidth is limited or for shorter check-ins. Live chat and text allow brief, flexible exchanges between sessions. These options make scheduling easier and help fit therapy into a busy life.
Questions people ask
What kinds of concerns does she help with?
What is her therapeutic style like?
How long has she practiced?
Where is she licensed and based?
What languages are available for sessions?
Can people outside the U.S. work with her?
What formats are offered for sessions?
How do I begin and what does it cost?
What this therapist works with
Most often
- Stress, Anxiety
- Parenting issues
- Self esteem
Also listed
- ADHD
- Aging and geriatric issues
- Anger management
- Autism and Asperger Syndrome
- Blended family issues
- Body image
- Cancer
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Chronic pain, illness, and disability
- Co-morbidity
- Coaching
- Codependency
- Compassion fatigue
- Coping with life changes
- Depression
- Divorce and separation
- Eating disorders
- Family conflicts
- Family of origin issues
- Family problems
- Forgiveness
- Gender dysphoria
- Grief
- Guilt and shame
- Hoarding
- Hospice and end-of-life counseling
- Intellectual disability
- LGBT
- Life purpose
- Obsessions, compulsions, and OCD
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Polyamory / non-monogamous relationships
- Postpartum depression
- Relationship issues
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Self-love
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Trauma and abuse
- Women's issues
- Young adult issues
Therapeutic approaches
- Experience
- 17 years
- Licensed
- Florida, Washington
- Languages
- English
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