About Melissa
Melissa Benson is a licensed mental health counselor with 24 years of experience helping people manage stress, anxiety, grief, depression, addictions, and major life changes. She works with clients facing relationship and intimacy concerns, parenting and family problems, ADHD, and issues with self-esteem. Melissa is licensed in Florida as an LMHC and holds an LCMHC credential as well.
She takes a straightforward, respectful approach in sessions. Melissa listens first, then tailors conversations and a plan to each person’s situation.
How Melissa works
She aims to make therapy practical and understandable so parents and busy adults can use what they learn day to day. Her work draws on client-centered methods that prioritize the person’s own goals and experience. She also uses cognitive behavioral therapy to identify unhelpful thought patterns, and solution-focused techniques to set small, achievable steps.
Mindfulness tools and motivational interviewing are added when they fit the client’s needs. Melissa’s background includes long-term clinical practice in Florida settings. Over two decades she has supported people through grief, addiction recovery, mood concerns like bipolar disorder, and the stress of life transitions.
She adapts her style to each person rather than following a single script. Sessions emphasize clear goals, practical strategies, and respect for the client’s pace. Melissa encourages questions and checks in about progress so plans can change when needed.
The work is collaborative and focused on real changes that help daily life.
Melissa lists 6 ways of working on the entry:
What Melissa works with
The areas below are the ones Melissa selected when setting up a profile. The first few are listed as the main focus; the rest are also named.
Also listed
- Addictions
- ADHD
- Aging and geriatric issues
- Anger management
- Antisocial personality
- Avoidant personality
- Bipolar disorder
- Body image
- Codependency
- Commitment issues
- Communication problems
- Coping with life changes
- Coping with natural or human-caused disaster
- Dependent personality
- Divorce and separation
- Drug and alcohol addiction
- Eating and food-related issues
- Eating disorders
- Emptiness
- Family conflicts
- Family problems
- Fatherhood issues
- Guilt and shame
- Hearing impaired
- Hoarding
- Infidelity
- Intimacy-related issues
- Isolation / loneliness
- Jealousy
- LGBT
- Life purpose
- Midlife crisis
- Mood disorders
- Narcissism
- Obsessions, compulsions, and OCD
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Parenting issues
- Phobias
- Polyamory / non-monogamous relationships
- Post-traumatic stress
- Postpartum depression
- Relationship issues
- Self esteem
- Self-love
- Sleeping disorders
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Trauma and abuse
- Veteran and Armed Forces Issues
- Women's issues
- Young adult issues
Training and background
| Registers | LMHC, LCMHC |
|---|---|
| Years in practice | 24 |
| Languages | English |
| Session format | Online: video, phone, live chat or messaging |
| Country | Florida |
Memberships and registers are shown as supplied; they are not licences, and this directory does not verify them.
Online support options
Therapeutic approaches and online care
Client-centered therapy focuses on the person’s own goals and viewpoint. The therapist listens without judgment and helps clients name what matters most, which can be useful for stress, grief, and relationship concerns.Cognitive behavioral therapy looks at the links between thoughts, feelings, and actions. It teaches practical ways to change unhelpful thinking and behavior, which can help with anxiety, depression, and issues like sleep or eating concerns.
Mindfulness therapy uses present-moment awareness and simple exercises to reduce reactivity and improve coping. These tools often pair well with other approaches for managing stress and cravings.
Finding the right mix of approaches is part of the process. The therapist works collaboratively to match methods to the client’s needs, goals, and personal preferences, and adjusts the plan as progress is made.
Online formats offer flexibility for busy schedules. Video calls allow face-to-face conversation, phone sessions work well when bandwidth is limited, live chat supports shorter check-ins, and text messaging can help with ongoing reminders and reflection between sessions. These options make it easier to fit therapy into work, parenting, or daily routines.
Start online instead of waiting
Our partner service asks a few questions about what you are looking for and matches you with a therapist for sessions from home.
Book with MelissaWe will earn a commission if you sign up through our link, at no cost to you.
Common questions
What concerns does Melissa commonly address?
What is her style of therapy like?
How much clinical experience does she have?
What credentials and location are listed for Melissa?
In which languages are sessions offered?
Which session formats are available?
How does pricing work for sessions?
What are the steps to begin working together?
A practical next step
Write down two things you would want to be different in six months. That is the most useful thing to bring to a first session, whoever it is with. If you would rather start now than keep reading, online sessions are the quickest route.
We will earn a commission if you sign up through our link, at no cost to you. Entries are not assessed or endorsed by this directory.
Other entries for stress, anxiety
Supportive LCSW helping people build strength and clarity
Practical, trauma-aware therapy for everyday life
Practical, relational therapy for life transitions