About Melanie
Melanie Fikse brings a practical, person-focused approach to therapy. She uses client-centered care to help people who feel overwhelmed by stress, anxiety, depression, grief, or trauma. Melanie's style is warm and grounded, and she aims to help people find ways to feel better in day-to-day life.
Melanie holds the LPCC credential, which reflects her work as a clinical counselor in California. Over 12 years she has supported adults through mood disorders, bipolar challenges, and addictive behaviors.
Background and approach
She also helps with relationship strain, family problems, and issues like abandonment, codependency, and isolation. Her work draws on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy alongside trauma-focused methods. Sessions combine practical skills, emotion-focused reflection, and step-by-step strategies to manage symptoms and rebuild routine.
Melanie often includes mindfulness and grounding techniques when trauma is involved. She trained at New York University and has experience providing therapy in community mental health settings and rural California. That mix of urban clinical work and quieter regional practice informs her flexible, down-to-earth style.
People who meet with her can expect a collaborative process that balances coping tools with attention to personal values. Melanie is allied with the LGBT community and attends to compassion fatigue and self-care as part of healing. She invites people to share their story and to take practical steps toward clearer thinking, steadier moods, and stronger day-to-day coping.
Online approaches that meet you where you are
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) encourages people to notice difficult thoughts and feelings without getting stuck in them, then take action guided by personal values to build a meaningful life. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) focuses on identifying unhelpful thinking patterns and practicing new skills to change mood and behavior, which helps with anxiety, depression, and impulsivity. Trauma-Focused Therapy addresses how past traumatic events affect current reactions and teaches grounding, pacing, and processing techniques to reduce intrusive symptoms.Choosing the best approach is a collaborative process. The therapist will listen to goals, try different techniques, and adjust the plan based on what helps most. Clients and the therapist work together to pick methods that fit the person's needs, pace, and preferences.
Online therapy offers flexibility with video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging. Video lets people see facial cues and practice skills in real time. Phone sessions work well when bandwidth is limited or when someone prefers not to be on camera. Live chat and text are useful for brief check-ins, homework prompts, or ongoing support between sessions. These options make it easier to fit therapy into a busy schedule and to keep consistent momentum toward goals.
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What this counselor works with
Most often
Also listed
- Abandonment
- Addictions
- Anger management
- Bipolar disorder
- Codependency
- Compassion fatigue
- Coping with life changes
- Depression
- Emptiness
- Family conflicts
- Family problems
- Forgiveness
- Guilt and shame
- Impulsivity
- Isolation / loneliness
- LGBT
- Mood disorders
- Paranoia
- Personality disorders
- Post-traumatic stress
- Relationship issues
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Self esteem
- Self-harm
- Self-love
- Sexual assault and abuse
- Women's issues
- Young adult issues
Therapeutic approaches
- Experience
- 12 years
- Licensed
- California
- Languages
- English