Therapist profile
Melissa Sonthonax, LMHC
Florida
Licensed Mental Health Counselor - Relationships and Anxiety
Continue with MelissaWhere Melissa stands
- Credentials
- LMHC
- License
- LMHC, Florida / MH15970
- NPI
- 1235617093
- Experience
- 10 years
- Languages
- English
- Location
- Florida
About
- Client-Centered Therapy
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
- Mindfulness Therapy
About Melissa
Melissa Sonthonax is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) in Florida with 10 years of experience. She works with stress, anxiety, relationships, self-esteem, career concerns, addictions, and life changes. Melissa also addresses issues like attachment, codependency, shame, and substance use in individual sessions. She conducts work in English and does not accept international clients.
Melissa uses straightforward, practical methods to help people notice what gets in their way and change small habits. She leans on Client-Centered ideas to listen and reflect, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to challenge unhelpful thoughts, and solution-focused steps to set clear, manageable goals. Sessions often focus on outer behaviors that build confidence over time.
Her approach involves creating concrete action plans rather than abstract talk alone. That may include identifying patterns of people-pleasing, practicing boundary language, or building step-by-step coping skills for panic and anxiety. She frames these as skills people can try between sessions and adjust as they go.
Melissa draws on Motivational Interviewing to support someone who feels stuck about change. She also uses Narrative Therapy techniques to help people reframe painful self-stories and see new possibilities. Together these methods feed into short-term goals and longer-term changes.
Clients can expect direct feedback, clear goal-setting, and practical tools for daily life. Melissa emphasizes steady behavioral changes that help with relationships, work, and emotional regulation. To begin, readers are asked to use the platform's matching steps and schedule a first session.
How sessions work
How Melissa uses therapy approaches in online sessions
Melissa often combines Client-Centered Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and Mindfulness Therapy in online work. Client-Centered Therapy means the therapist listens closely and reflects what she hears so the person feels understood and can clarify goals. CBT focuses on spotting unhelpful thoughts and testing them with small behavioral experiments to reduce anxiety and improve mood. Mindfulness Therapy teaches simple attention and breathing practices to reduce reactivity and manage panic or stress.Finding the right mix of methods is part of the work. Melissa treats it as a collaborative process: she helps you and adjusts the plan based on your goals, preferences, and how you respond. That might mean more skill-building one month and more narrative or motivational work the next.
The practical benefits of online sessions include fitting meetings into a busy schedule and avoiding travel time. Confirm the exact session formats available before booking since formats are not specified here. Online work can make it easier to try short check-ins, practice skills between sessions, and apply new behaviors directly in day-to-day situations.
Areas of focus
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
10+ years
Listed in
Florida
Languages
English
Questions
Frequently asked questions
What kinds of concerns does she address?
She works with stress, anxiety, relationship struggles, low self-esteem, career problems, addictions, and life transitions. Additional focus includes attachment issues, codependency, shame, and panic.
How would she describe her therapeutic style?
Melissa uses a practical, goal-focused approach combining client-centered listening with CBT, mindfulness, motivational interviewing, and narrative techniques. Sessions emphasize clear steps and behavior changes you can practice between meetings.
How much experience does she have?
She has worked in the mental health field for 10 years and has experience supporting people with anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, and life transitions.
Where is she licensed and practicing?
She is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) licensed in Florida and practices from that state.
Which languages are supported?
Sessions are offered in English only.
Are international clients accepted?
International clients are not currently accepted.
How are fees handled?
Cost varies with location and sessions use a subscription model that can be canceled at any time. Confirm exact pricing during the sign-up process.
What are the steps to begin working together?
Use the See online therapy options button, complete the short matching questionnaire, and then schedule your first session through the platform.
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.