Therapist profile
Melissa Sonthonax, LMHC
Licensed mental health counselor - Family and parenting topics
Continue with MelissaAbout
- CBT techniques
- Mindfulness tools
- Goal focused work
About Melissa
Melissa Sonthonax is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) licensed in Florida with 10 years of clinical experience. She began her career after earning a master’s degree in psychology and has worked with people facing anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, and life transitions. She also addresses stress, relationship and intimacy concerns, addictions, anger, and career and financial worries.
Melissa uses straightforward, practical work in sessions. She focuses on building strength and visible changes in daily behavior. That can mean setting small goals, practicing new communication habits, or learning tools to manage panic and social anxiety. Sessions aim to make everyday routines easier to handle.
Her methods are client-centered and include cognitive behavioral and mindfulness techniques. She also draws on motivational interviewing and narrative ideas to help people see patterns and try new ways of responding. These approaches are used to target things like codependency, impulsivity, feelings of emptiness, and trouble with forgiveness or guilt.
In conversation she helps people create step-by-step plans. Those plans often include short exercises to use between sessions and concrete ways to track progress. The work is practical and focused on small changes that add up over time.
Melissa’s practice emphasizes getting clear goals and measurable steps. She supports people who want help with communication problems, relationship strain, substance use concerns, or the emotional fallout from life changes. Sessions are offered in English and arranged through the service’s booking flow.
How sessions work
Using practical approaches in online sessions
Melissa draws on client-centered work and cognitive behavioral therapy to help people make concrete changes. Client-centered therapy focuses on listening and responding to each person's experience so goals come from the person. Cognitive behavioral therapy looks at how thoughts and behaviors interact and provides tools to change unhelpful patterns, which can help with panic, social anxiety, and low mood.She also uses mindfulness techniques to teach simple ways to notice thoughts and body states without getting overwhelmed. Mindfulness can help reduce reactivity and make stress easier to manage in day-to-day life. Choosing which approach to use is a collaborative process - the therapist will work with the client to decide which methods fit their goals and preferences as sessions progress.
Confirm the session formats before booking since the biography does not list them. Online work can make it easier to fit sessions into a busy day, allow shorter check-ins when needed, and reduce travel time. Many people find that using practical exercises between sessions helps progress continue between meetings, and Melissa incorporates goal-setting and short practice tasks to keep work moving forward.
Areas of focus
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
10+ years
Listed in
Florida
Languages
English
Questions
Frequently asked questions
What issues does she help with at home?
She works with stress, anxiety, relationship strain, self-esteem, intimacy concerns, and family-related difficulties among other issues.
What approach does she use in sessions?
She uses a client-centered style supported by cognitive behavioral and mindfulness techniques, plus motivational interviewing and narrative work when helpful.
How long has she been practicing?
She has 10 years of experience working in the mental health field since completing her graduate degree.
Where is she licensed and practicing from?
She is a Florida Licensed Mental Health Counselor (FL LMHC) and practices from Florida.
Can I work with her if I live outside the United States?
Sessions are offered in English and international clients are not currently accepted.
What session formats does she offer?
Please confirm current session options before booking since the therapist's biography does not list specific formats.
How much do sessions cost?
Cost varies with location and sessions use a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.
How do I begin working with her?
Select the See online therapy options button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule your first session.
Details come from information the therapist supplied to BetterHelp. A license can be checked with the state board.
Online talk therapy is not emergency care. If anyone is in danger, use the crisis numbers.