Works with
How Melissa works
Practical facts
- Credentials
- LPC
- Licensed in
- Louisiana
- Years in practice
- 14
- Languages
- English
- Session format
- Online, through our partner platform
About Melissa
Melissa Averett is a Licensed Professional Counselor with 14 years of experience. She trained in counseling at Southeastern Louisiana University and has worked in both residential and outpatient settings. Melissa focuses on practical skills and clear steps to help people manage strong feelings and life changes.
She spent four years supporting women in residential addiction recovery and nine years offering outpatient counseling to adults. That mix gives her experience with both structured programs and one-on-one therapy.
Background and approach
She helps people who are facing grief, trauma, relationship strain, addiction, and anger-related concerns. Melissa uses a client-centered style that places the person's goals front and center. She works together with each person to set clear, achievable goals and to choose tools that fit daily life.
She also uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to identify unhelpful thoughts and shift them toward more useful ways of thinking. In sessions she teaches concrete skills like healthy boundaries, assertive communication, and coping techniques for stress and sleep problems. She also addresses issues such as self-esteem, body image, codependency, and forgiveness when those topics come up.
Her approach is direct but warm. Melissa aims to show empathy while offering strategies people can use between sessions. She helps people break problems into manageable steps so progress feels real and practical.
What Melissa works with
Everything Melissa lists, in the therapist's own terms. Anger is the reason this directory exists; the rest tells you what usually sits alongside it in Melissa's practice.
- Stress, Anxiety
- Self esteem
- Depression
- Coping with life changes
- Addictions
- Relationship issues
- Family conflicts
- Trauma and abuse
- Grief
- Sleeping disorders
- Parenting issues
- Anger management
- Bipolar disorder
- Compassion fatigue
- ADHD
- Abandonment
- Avoidant personality
- Blended family issues
- Body image
- Codependency
- Commitment issues
- Communication problems
- Control issues
- Coping with natural or human-caused disaster
- Dependent personality
- Dissociation
- Divorce and separation
- Family of origin issues
- Family problems
- Forgiveness
- Guilt and shame
- Hoarding
- Impulsivity
- Infidelity
- Isolation / loneliness
- Jealousy
- Life purpose
- Midlife crisis
- Mood disorders
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Paranoia
- Phobias
- Postpartum depression
- Post-traumatic stress
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Self-love
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Visually impaired
- Women's issues
- Workplace issues
- Young adult issues
Approaches Melissa lists
Listing an approach is not evidence of training in it. This directory copies what each therapist names and does not check training records.
Approaches and online options for practical change
Melissa combines client-centered therapy and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy in online sessions. Client-centered therapy focuses on building a trusting relationship and helping each person set their own goals. It is useful for people who need a listening space and guidance to identify what matters most to them.Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, helps people notice and change unhelpful thoughts and behaviors. It is often used for anxiety, depression, anger issues, sleep trouble, and to build better coping skills. Sessions include practicing skills and homework that you can use between meetings.
Finding the right approach is collaborative. Melissa will talk with each person about goals, preferences, and what has or hasn't worked before. Together they pick techniques that match needs and adjust the plan as progress is made.
Online therapy offers flexible ways to connect: video for face-to-face conversation, phone for simpler check-ins, live chat for shorter exchanges, and text messaging for ongoing support. These options make it easier to fit therapy around work, school, or family schedules and let people choose the format that feels most comfortable.
Questions people ask about Melissa
What concerns does Melissa help with?
She works with a wide range of issues including stress, anxiety, depression, grief, trauma, addictions, anger, and relationship or family problems.
How would you describe her therapy style?
She uses a client-centered style to collaborate on goals and pairs that with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to change unhelpful thoughts and behaviors.
How much experience does she have?
Melissa has 14 years of experience, including four years in residential addiction recovery and nine years in outpatient counseling.
What credentials and location are listed?
She is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) practicing in Louisiana.
Which languages are supported for sessions?
Sessions are offered in English.
What session formats are available online?
Sessions can be conducted by video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging.
How does billing and cost work?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability; sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
What are the first steps to start therapy?
Click the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule sessions according to the therapist's availability.