Approaches that guide online sessions

Melissa blends client-centered therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy in online meetings. Client-centered therapy means she listens closely and follows what matters most to the person, which helps build trust and clearer goals. Cognitive behavioral therapy looks at the links between thoughts, feelings, and actions, offering concrete strategies to change unhelpful patterns and manage symptoms like anxiety or low mood.

She also draws from dialectical behavior therapy when emotion regulation and distress tolerance skills are needed. DBT-based skills teach ways to notice intense feelings, reduce reactivity, and handle strong emotions with step-by-step practices that can be used between sessions. Together these approaches give a mix of listening, skill-building, and short-term problem solving.

Finding the right approach is part of the work. She will talk with each person about goals and preferences, and then decide together which methods to try. That collaborative planning lets therapy shift as needs change and as people test what helps most.

Online formats include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging. Video is useful for more in-depth conversations and skill practice, phone can fit brief check-ins or when bandwidth is low, and chat or messaging lets people share notes and updates between meetings. These options make it easier to fit therapy into a busy life and to use different formats for different needs.