Therapist profile
Melinna Perez, LMFT
California
LMFT - Anxiety and Relationship Patterns
Continue with MelinnaWhere Melinna stands
- Credentials
- LMFT
- License
- LMFT, California / 123816
- NPI
- 1629570726
- Experience
- 10 years
- Languages
- English, Spanish
- Location
- California
About
- Anxiety and stress
- Relationship patterns
- Eating and body issues
About Melinna
Melinna Perez is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) practicing in California with 10 years of clinical experience. She works with adults on concerns such as anxiety, depression, eating and body image issues, trauma and abuse, intimacy and relationship patterns, grief, and stress-related problems including compassion fatigue and codependency.
She trained at the University of Southern California and holds bachelor degrees in psychology and English. Over her career she has worked in outpatient and residential settings and has experience running both individual and group therapy. That background informs a flexible approach that draws on several evidence-based methods.
In sessions she uses client-centered work as a base, then adds tools from cognitive behavioral therapy and acceptance and commitment therapy to help people notice patterns and make practical shifts. She also uses skills from dialectical behavior therapy and emotionally focused methods when emotion regulation and relationship interaction are the focus.
Her style is direct and practical. She helps people name the behaviors that keep them stuck and practices new ways of responding in session. That can include short experiments, values-based planning, and skills practice for boundaries, distress tolerance, or managing worry.
She offers therapy in English and Spanish and has a history working with LGBTQ people and people of color. To begin, clients complete a brief matching questionnaire and schedule an initial meeting to discuss goals and next steps.
How sessions work
Approaches used in online sessions
Melinna commonly draws from acceptance and commitment therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy in her work. Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) helps people name what matters to them and take small actions in line with those values. It can be useful for worry, avoidance, and getting unstuck from rigid patterns. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) breaks problems into thoughts, feelings, and behaviors and uses exercises to test unhelpful thinking and build alternative habits. CBT is often helpful for anxiety, depression, and managing eating or body image concerns.Finding the right approach is part of the work. She will discuss different methods with each person and decide together which tools to try first based on goals and preferences. That collaborative planning helps keep sessions practical and focused on the next steps someone can actually try between meetings.
The therapist has provided prior experience with both in-office and online work, but session formats for this listing are not specified here. Please confirm which session formats are currently offered before booking. Online work can make it easier to fit therapy into a busy week, allow shorter check-ins when needed, and remove travel time so more consistent momentum is possible.
Areas of focus
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
10+ years
Listed in
California
Languages
English, Spanish
Questions
Frequently asked questions
What kinds of concerns does she treat?
She works with anxiety, depression, eating and body image problems, trauma and abuse, grief, intimacy-related issues, and patterns like codependency and people-pleasing.
How would you describe her therapeutic style?
She uses a client-centered base with practical techniques from CBT, ACT, DBT, and emotionally focused work to practice new ways of responding and managing emotions.
How long has she been practicing?
She has about 10 years of clinical experience working in outpatient and residential settings and with both individual and group formats.
What are her credentials and where does she practice?
She is an LMFT licensed in California and practices there.
Does she work in languages other than English?
Sessions are offered in English and Spanish.
Can people outside the United States work with her?
She is not accepting international clients at this time.
How are sessions scheduled and what do they cost?
Cost varies with location and sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
What should I do to begin working with her?
Select the See online therapy options button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule a first session.
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 you are not safe at home, use the crisis and helpline numbers.