- CBT methods
- DBT skills
- Motivational interviewing
About Melissa
Melissa Wooden is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in Virginia with three years of clinical experience. She works with adults facing stress, anxiety, depression, self-esteem concerns, anger, and addictions. Melissa also addresses issues such as communication problems, loneliness, guilt and shame, and questions about life purpose.
She uses practical conversation and active listening to help people notice patterns that keep them stuck. Sessions often involve looking at thoughts and behaviors, trying small experiments, and finding clearer ways to communicate. She draws on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, and Client-Centered ideas to guide those steps.
Melissa often uses motivational interviewing to help people sort mixed feelings about change. Existential ideas also appear when people wrestle with meaning, direction, and emptiness. These approaches are applied in straightforward ways rather than as abstract theory.
Work in therapy focuses on concrete skills and choices. People might practice new coping strategies for anxiety, set boundaries around relationships, or make plans to reduce substance use. Conversations include short-term goals and practical next steps.
She asks each person what matters to them and adjusts sessions around that. The emphasis is on collaboration and on skills that can be used between sessions. If someone wants to explore life purpose, therapy can include focused questions and exercises to clarify values and options.
How her therapeutic approaches fit with online work
Client-Centered Therapy focuses on listening and responding to the person in front of the therapist. In practice this means sessions start with the client’s concerns and the counselor reflects those back to clarify what matters most. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, breaks problems into thoughts, feelings, and behaviors and uses practical exercises to test new patterns. CBT is often used for anxiety, mood concerns, and unhelpful habits.Finding the right method is part of the work together. The therapist will talk with the client about goals, try approaches that fit the issue, and adjust based on what helps. This is a collaborative process where the person’s preferences and progress guide decisions about which tools to use.
Session formats are not specified in the profile, so confirm current online options before booking. Online sessions can make it easier to fit counseling into a busy day, offer shorter check-ins when needed, or avoid travel time. They also allow the therapist to guide skill practice and homework between meetings, keeping focus on clear steps for coping, communication, and exploring life purpose.
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
3+ years
Listed in
Virginia
Languages
English
Frequently asked questions
What concerns does she address?
She works with stress, anxiety, depression, self-esteem problems, anger, and addictions. Additional areas include communication difficulties, loneliness, life purpose, and obsessive concerns.
How does she approach feeling stuck?
She uses practical conversation to identify unhelpful patterns and then tries skills and small experiments. Therapy mixes thought-focused work with behavioral steps to test new ways of coping.
What is her background and experience?
She has three years of experience as a counselor working in the mental health field. Her work includes supporting people with mood concerns and substance-related issues.
What credential does she hold and where is she based?
She is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) licensed in Virginia and practices from that state.
Which languages are supported?
Sessions are offered in English. International clients are accepted.
What session formats are offered?
Please confirm current session options before booking since specific formats are not listed in the profile. The therapist asks clients to verify available formats when they schedule.
How does pricing work?
Cost varies with location and sessions use a subscription model that can be canceled at any time. Exact pricing is provided during the matching or scheduling process.
How do I begin working with her?
Use the See online therapy options button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule a first session. That process starts the match and scheduling steps.
Online talk therapy is not emergency care. If you are in danger, use the crisis numbers.