- Client-Centered Therapy
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
- Emotion regulation skills
About Melisa
Melisa Ford is an LPC - Licensed Professional Counselor with 12 years of experience based in Alabama. She works with people facing stress, anxiety, depression, trauma, relationship and family concerns, and issues with addiction. She also supports clients dealing with grief, self-esteem struggles, ADHD, and intimacy-related concerns.
Her approach is straightforward and practical. She uses client-centered work to listen and understand what matters most to each person. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy techniques are used to identify unhelpful thoughts and change patterns that make daily life harder. Dialectical Behavior Therapy skills are offered for emotion regulation and coping when feelings feel intense.
Melisa also draws on solution-focused methods to set short-term goals and build momentum in sessions. She prioritizes clear steps people can try between meetings, like concrete communication skills or simple behavior experiments. Sessions include talking through current problems and practicing small changes that can make tasks feel more manageable.
She pays attention to cultural background and how identity shapes stress and relationships. That can include discussing family expectations, work pressures, or experiences of isolation and discrimination. The work is collaborative: the person and therapist decide what to try next based on what actually helps.
People who meet with her can expect direct, practical guidance and a focus on usable skills. The emphasis is on making day-to-day life easier, improving relationships, and building routines that support mental health.
How therapeutic approaches translate to online sessions
Client-Centered Therapy focuses on listening and reflecting what matters to the person. Online sessions still allow time to talk through current concerns and clarify personal goals in a conversational way.Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, helps people identify thoughts and behaviors that keep problems going. In online meetings this often means setting simple experiments or homework to try between sessions and reviewing results together.
Finding the right approach is part of the process. The therapist will work collaboratively to choose which methods to try based on the clients goals and preferences. That means starting with what feels most useful and adjusting as progress is made.
Confirm the specific session formats before booking so you know how meetings will be held. The practical benefit of remote options is fitting therapy into a busy life - it can be easier to schedule a shorter check-in during a break or avoid travel time. Talk and skills practice translate well to virtual sessions, and planning concrete steps between meetings helps keep momentum.
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
12+ years
Listed in
Georgia, Alabama
Languages
English
Frequently asked questions
What concerns does she help with?
She works with stress, anxiety, depression, trauma, addictions, relationship and family concerns, grief, self-esteem, ADHD, and related issues.
What is her therapeutic style?
She uses a practical, collaborative approach that combines client-centered listening with skills-based methods like CBT and DBT.
How much experience does she have?
She has 12 years of clinical experience working with a wide range of mood and behavioral concerns.
What are her credentials and location?
She is an LPC - Licensed Professional Counselor, holding AL LPC and GA LPC credentials, and practices from Alabama.
Does she work in other languages or with international clients?
Sessions are offered in English. International clients are not currently accepted.
What session formats are offered?
Please confirm current session options before booking so you know whether sessions are in person or remote and what technologies are used.
How are costs handled?
Cost varies with location; sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
How do I get started?
Select the See online therapy options button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule your first session.