Therapist profile
Melissa Smith, LPC
LPC counselor - stress and parenting support
Continue with MelissaAbout
- Stress and anxiety
- Parenting concerns
- CBT and mindfulness
About Melissa
Melissa Smith is a Licensed Professional Counselor, LPC, practicing in Missouri with 23 years of experience. She helps people facing stress, anxiety, depression, anger, low self-esteem, motivation challenges, and life changes. Her work also addresses parenting concerns, relationship and intimacy-related questions, addictions, grief, trauma, ADHD, and workplace strain.
Melissa prefers straightforward conversations and practical steps. Sessions focus on clear goals and small, manageable changes. She uses methods that help people notice unhelpful thoughts, try new behaviors, and strengthen everyday coping skills.
Her background includes long-term clinical work with adults navigating mood disorders, grief, and caregiver stress. She draws on cognitive behavioral ideas to challenge patterns that keep problems going. She also uses client-centered listening so people can speak openly about what matters to them.
Mindfulness practices are offered to help reduce reactivity and increase calm in daily life. Motivational interviewing techniques are used when someone wants to change habits related to addiction, work, or health. Melissa also brings psychodynamic awareness to understand repeating patterns that affect relationships and self-worth.
People who prefer direct, goal-focused support tend to find her approach useful. She encourages steady progress rather than quick fixes. To begin, readers should confirm current session options before booking so the format matches their needs.
How sessions work
How Melissa’s methods can work online
Client-Centered Therapy focuses on listening closely and helping a person set their own goals. Melissa uses this approach to help people talk through what matters and decide next steps. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, looks at thoughts and behaviors that keep problems going and works on practical exercises to change them. CBT is often used for anxiety, depression, and mood regulation.Choosing the right approach is part of the work. Melissa will discuss goals and preferences and adapt methods as therapy progresses. That means trying strategies together and adjusting what’s helpful over time rather than sticking to one fixed plan.
Confirm the session formats available before you book so they fit your schedule. Online therapy can make it easier to fit sessions into a workday, reduce travel time, and allow shorter check-ins when needed. Many people find that remote sessions let them practice skills in between meetings and bring real-life situations back to therapy for discussion.
Areas of focus
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
23+ years
Listed in
Missouri
Languages
English
Questions
Frequently asked questions
What kinds of concerns does she address?
She works with stress, anxiety, depression, mood disorders, grief, relationship and intimacy issues, parenting questions, addictions, trauma, ADHD, and related concerns.
How would you describe her therapeutic style?
Her style is practical and goal oriented. She combines listening with techniques that challenge thoughts and encourage new behaviors.
How much experience does she have?
She has 23 years of professional experience working with adults on mood, coping, and life-transition concerns.
What credential does she hold and where is she located?
She is an LPC, Licensed Professional Counselor, practicing in Missouri.
Which languages are sessions offered in?
Sessions are offered in English.
Can she work with clients outside the United States?
She is not accepting international clients at this time.
What session formats are available?
Please confirm current session options before booking so you know which formats are offered for your sessions.
How are fees and billing handled?
Cost varies with location and sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
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.