- Years in practice
- 11
- Credentials
- LMHC
- Licensed in
- Florida
- Languages
- English
- Focus
- Stress, Anxiety
- Focus
- Trauma and abuse
- Focus
- Depression
About Melissa
Melissa Wood is a licensed mental health counselor practicing in Florida with 11 years of professional experience. She focuses on helping people manage stress, anxiety, trauma and abuse, and depression. Melissa also supports clients coping with life changes and parenting concerns.
She approaches work with respect, sensitivity, and compassion. Her style is practical and person-centered. Conversations are tailored to each person's situation and goals.
She works with clients to identify small, manageable steps they can try between sessions.
Background and approach
Sessions are meant to feel collaborative rather than prescriptive. Melissa attends to emotional challenges that come from relationships and life transitions. She helps people facing grief, self-esteem struggles, ADHD-related challenges, and mood concerns.
Communication problems, attachment issues, caregiver stress, and isolation are also areas she addresses. When trauma or past hurt is involved, she balances safety and pacing with clear, grounded support. Melissa helps people name what they are feeling and develop tools to cope with intense reactions.
She also helps clients work through guilt, shame, forgiveness, and the fallout from divorce or separation. Her work is straightforward and encouraging. Melissa aims to empower clients to make choices that fit their lives.
She tailors the plan to each person and adjusts as needs change.
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
- Trauma and abuse
- Depression
- Coping with life changes
- Relationship issues
- Family conflicts
- Grief
- Parenting issues
- Self esteem
- ADHD
- Attachment issues
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Communication problems
- Control issues
- Divorce and separation
- Forgiveness
- Guilt and shame
- Isolation / loneliness
- Mood disorders
- Post-traumatic stress
- Social anxiety and phobia
Evidence-based approaches and flexible online care
Melissa uses evidence-based therapeutic techniques focused on practical change. One approach she might use is skills-based work that teaches coping tools for anxiety, mood swings, and daily stress. This involves learning short practices and strategies to manage emotions and behavior in everyday moments. Another common strand in her work is trauma-informed support, which emphasizes pacing, safety, and helping people make sense of painful experiences so reactions feel less overwhelming.Choosing which approach to use is a collaborative process. The therapist will discuss goals, preferences, and what has or hasn't helped before. Together they decide which techniques match the client's needs and adjust the plan as progress is made.
Online formats include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging to fit different schedules and needs. Video sessions let people work face-to-face from wherever they are, phone sessions can be a simpler check-in when bandwidth is limited, and messaging or live chat can support short updates or brief coaching between meetings. These options aim to make therapy more flexible and easier to fit into a busy life.
Questions people ask about Melissa
What kinds of concerns does Melissa help with?
She helps people with stress, anxiety, trauma and abuse, depression, and coping with life changes. Parenting, grief, self-esteem and ADHD-related concerns are also part of her focus.
How would you describe her therapeutic style?
Her approach is person-centered and practical. Conversations are tailored, collaborative, and focused on small, manageable steps clients can use between sessions.
How much experience does she have?
Melissa has 11 years of professional work experience in the mental health field.
What are her credentials and where is she based?
She holds the credential LMHC, which stands for Licensed Mental Health Counselor, and she is licensed in Florida.
Can I work with her in a language other than English?
Sessions are offered in English.
What session formats are available online?
She offers video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging for online work.
How much do sessions cost?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability; sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
What do I do to begin working with her?
Begin by selecting the Start Therapy button and completing the short matching questionnaire. Then schedule sessions according to the therapist's availability.
More therapists for parents in Florida
All in Florida
Paula Schneider
LCSW
Florida 20 years in practice
Practical, respectful therapy for parenting and relationships
- Addictions
- Relationship
- Family
Deana Duckenfield
LMHC, LPC
Florida 6 years in practice
Practical, goal-focused support for parents
- Stress, Anxiety
- Addictions
- Trauma and abuse
Arielle Simpson
LMHC
Florida 12 years in practice
Supportive LMHC for parenting stress
- Stress, Anxiety
- Trauma and abuse
- Grief