- Client-centered focus
- CBT and DBT skills
- Mindfulness practice
About Melissa
Melissa Colton is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) in Florida with 27 years of clinical experience. She works with people facing anxiety, depression, trauma, anger, and life transitions. Melissa also helps with relationship strain, parenting stress, addiction concerns, and questions about identity and purpose.
She describes therapy as a collaborative process. Sessions focus on clear goals, practical skills, and honest conversation. Melissa draws on client-centered methods to listen and respond to what a person brings, and she uses cognitive behavioral and dialectical behavior strategies to teach coping skills and new ways of responding to strong emotions.
Her approach includes mindfulness practices to lower reactivity and increase awareness of thought patterns. She also uses solution-focused and existential ideas to clarify values and choices when people are stuck. Those techniques are used side-by-side to fit the specific concerns someone brings into the room.
In sessions she helps people name triggers, practice calming and thinking skills, and plan behavioral changes they can try between meetings. She frames setbacks as information rather than failure and works with clients on concrete steps forward. Melissa emphasizes action as well as reflection, so clients leave with tools and experiments to test in daily life.
Her background in varied therapeutic approaches supports work with mood disorders, ADHD, grief, and compassion fatigue. People who want straightforward strategies for managing anger, reducing overwhelm, or rebuilding motivation will find a practical, skills-based focus in her practice.
How her approaches translate to online work
Melissa uses client-centered therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy to guide online sessions. Client-centered work focuses on listening and responding to each person's concerns so the therapist can shape the session to what matters most. CBT breaks down thoughts, feelings, and behaviors and teaches practical skills to change unhelpful patterns and reduce anger or worry.She also uses dialectical behavior therapy skills to teach distress tolerance, emotional regulation, and clearer communication. Those DBT skills are useful for people who want step-by-step tools to manage strong reactions and improve relationships. Together these methods help with anger, anxiety, mood symptoms, and stress-related problems.
Finding the right mix of approaches is part of the process. She will discuss goals and preferences with each person and decide together which methods to try first. That collaborative planning makes it easier to focus on skills that fit daily life.
Confirm current session formats before booking so you know which options are supported. Online sessions can make it easier to fit meetings into a workday, reduce travel time, allow shorter check-ins when needed, and let people use mindfulness or skills practice in their usual surroundings.
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
27+ years
Listed in
Florida
Languages
English
Frequently asked questions
What kinds of concerns does she address?
She works with stress, anxiety, depression, trauma, anger, relationship strain, parenting issues, addictions, bipolar and mood disorders, and related concerns such as guilt, shame, and life purpose.
How does she approach therapy?
Her style is collaborative and skills-based. She uses client-centered listening alongside CBT, DBT, mindfulness, and solution-focused techniques to build coping skills and plan changes.
How much experience does she have?
She has 27 years of experience working in the mental health field and has supported people with a wide range of mood and stress-related concerns.
What are her credentials and where is she located?
She is an LMHC - Licensed Mental Health Counselor - practicing in Florida.
Which languages are sessions offered in?
Sessions are offered in English.
Does she work with international clients?
She does not accept international clients at this time.
How does payment and cost work?
Cost varies with location and sessions use a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.
What are the steps to begin?
Tap the See online therapy options button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule a first session.