- Years in practice
- 8
- Credentials
- LPC
- Licensed in
- Wisconsin
- Languages
- English
- Focus
- Stress, Anxiety
- Focus
- Eating disorders
- Focus
- Self esteem
About Melissa
Melissa Madriaga is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) based in Wisconsin who focuses on helping people facing parenting stress and related life strains. She writes simply and listens closely to understand what is happening in day-to-day life. Her style is down-to-earth and practical, aimed at making small changes that fit a busy family routine.
Melissa draws on eight years of counseling experience and a master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling.
Background and approach
She has worked in settings that include support for people who have experienced homelessness and incarceration, and she has served in the United States Army Reserves. Those experiences inform her practical, no-nonsense approach to care. In sessions she uses client-centered techniques to build a trusting space and cognitive behavioral therapy to help people change unhelpful thoughts and behaviors.
She also incorporates mindfulness and narrative work to help clients notice patterns and reframe difficult stories they tell themselves. These methods are used to address anxiety, depression, eating and body image concerns, addiction-related struggles, grief, trauma, and parenting worries. Her additional focus areas include communication problems, blended family issues, money and financial concerns, pregnancy and childbirth, and feelings of isolation or guilt.
Melissa aims to support people working through life transitions, coping with anger, and rebuilding self-esteem after painful experiences. Melissa balances a practical, goal-oriented stance with compassionate listening. She helps people set small, doable steps and checks progress along the way.
Parents who want straightforward, experience-based support for daily challenges may find her approach helpful.
What Melissa works with
Everything Melissa lists, in the therapist's own terms. Parenting is the reason this directory exists; the rest shows what else Melissa helps people with.
- Stress, Anxiety
- Eating disorders
- Self esteem
- Depression
- Addictions
- Relationship issues
- Family conflicts
- Trauma and abuse
- Parenting issues
- Anger management
- Coping with life changes
- Abandonment
- Blended family issues
- Body image
- Commitment issues
- Communication problems
- Control issues
- Eating and food-related issues
- Family problems
- Forgiveness
- Guilt and shame
- Isolation / loneliness
- Life purpose
- Veteran and Armed Forces Issues
- Money and financial issues
- Pregnancy and childbirth
- Self-harm
- Self-love
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Women's 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 that fit busy lives and parenting stress
Melissa commonly uses client-centered work to create a space where people shape the goals and pace of therapy; this helps clients feel heard and steer the direction of sessions. She also uses cognitive behavioral therapy to identify unhelpful thoughts and test small behavior changes that reduce anxiety, improve mood, or address eating and body image concerns.Finding the right approach is treated as a collaborative process. The therapist will listen to each person’s situation, discuss options, and adjust methods based on needs, goals, and preferences. Together they decide which techniques to try and check in on what is or isn’t working.
Online sessions are offered via video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging to fit different schedules. Video calls allow face-to-face conversation for deeper exchange, phone sessions can be easier when bandwidth is limited, chat works for quick check-ins, and messaging supports ongoing reflection between meetings. These options make it simpler to weave therapy into a busy routine and keep momentum between appointments.
Questions people ask about Melissa
What concerns does she help with?
She works with stress, anxiety, depression, eating and body image issues, addictions, trauma, and parenting-related worries among other concerns.
How would she describe her therapeutic style?
Her style is client-centered and practical, using cognitive behavioral techniques alongside mindfulness and narrative approaches to help people change patterns and tell different stories about their lives.
What is her professional background?
She holds a master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and brings eight years of counseling experience, including work with homeless and incarcerated populations and service in the Army Reserves.
Where is she located and licensed?
She practices in Wisconsin and holds the Licensed Professional Counselor credential, noted as WI LPC.
Which languages are supported and can she work with international clients?
Sessions are offered in English and she is not accepting international clients at this time.
What session formats are offered online?
She provides video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging as options for online work.
How does payment and cost work?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability; sessions use a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.
How do I begin working with her?
Start by selecting the Start Therapy button, completing a short matching questionnaire, and scheduling according to the therapist’s availability.
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Angela Raymond
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