Works with
- Anger
- Stress, Anxiety
- Trauma and abuse
- Grief
- Bipolar disorder
- Depression
How Melanie works
Practical facts
- Credentials
- LPCC
- Licensed in
- California
- Years in practice
- 12
- Languages
- English
- Session format
- Online, through our partner platform
About Melanie
Melanie Fikse is a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC) based in California. She draws on 12 years of experience helping adults who feel stuck, overwhelmed, or burned out. Melanie aims to create a calm, practical space where people can start to feel different and take small steps toward change.
She uses a trauma-informed, client-centered approach. That means sessions focus on the person's goals and strengths while paying attention to past hurts that still affect daily life.
Background and approach
Melanie mixes practical skills with an emphasis on self-compassion and resilience building. Many clients come for help with stress, anxiety, depression, grief, mood concerns like bipolar, or struggles with substance use. She also supports people coping with anger, relationship or family problems, loneliness, and issues such as abandonment, codependency, or guilt and shame.
Melanie is an ally to the LGBT community and works with survivors of trauma. Therapy sessions often include evidence-based techniques from cognitive behavioral therapy and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy alongside trauma-focused methods. Expect a collaborative style - Melanie listens first, then offers straightforward tools and small homework steps to practice between sessions.
She trained at New York University and has experience in community mental health settings as well as rural practice in California. That blend of community and clinical work shapes a practical, down-to-earth approach focused on progress rather than perfection.
What Melanie works with
Everything Melanie lists, in the therapist's own terms. Anger is the reason this directory exists; the rest tells you what usually sits alongside it in Melanie's practice.
- Stress, Anxiety
- Trauma and abuse
- Grief
- Bipolar disorder
- Depression
- Addictions
- LGBT
- Relationship issues
- Family conflicts
- Anger management
- Self esteem
- Coping with life changes
- Compassion fatigue
- Abandonment
- Codependency
- Emptiness
- Family problems
- Forgiveness
- Guilt and shame
- Impulsivity
- Isolation / loneliness
- Mood disorders
- Paranoia
- Personality disorders
- Post-traumatic stress
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Self-harm
- Self-love
- Sexual assault and abuse
- Women's issues
- Young adult issues
Approaches Melanie lists
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
- Client-Centered Therapy
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Trauma-Focused Therapy
Listing an approach is not evidence of training in it. This directory copies what each therapist names and does not check training records.
Online approaches that focus on skills and healing
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, or ACT, helps people clarify what matters most and take action toward those values. It uses simple exercises to reduce avoidance and build meaningful habits, which can help with anxiety, depression, and chronic stress.Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, CBT, focuses on identifying unhelpful thoughts and testing new behaviors. It offers concrete tools for managing mood, impulsivity, anger, and patterns that keep problems stuck.
Melanie treats approach selection as a team effort. She will work with each person to identify goals, try techniques, and adjust the plan if something isn’t working. The process is collaborative and paced to what the person needs.
Online sessions are available by video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging. Video allows face-to-face conversation and visual cues. Phone sessions can be easier when bandwidth is limited or a shorter check-in is needed. Live chat and text messaging support ongoing contact and brief check-ins between fuller sessions. These options make it easier to fit therapy into work, caregiving, or travel schedules while keeping consistent progress.
Questions people ask about Melanie
What concerns does Melanie address in sessions?
She works with stress, anxiety, depression, grief, trauma and abuse, bipolar disorder, addictions, anger, relationship and family problems, self-esteem, and coping with life changes.
How would you describe her therapeutic style?
Her style is client-centered and collaborative with a trauma-informed lens. Sessions combine listening, practical skills, and steps to try between meetings.
What kind of experience does she bring?
She has 12 years of clinical experience working with adults in community mental health and rural California practice settings.
What are her credentials and where is she located?
She is a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor - LPCC - practicing in California.
Which language options are available for sessions?
Sessions are offered in English.
Can international clients work with her?
She does not accept international clients at this time.
What session formats are offered?
Sessions can be conducted by video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging to fit different schedules and needs.
How is cost handled and how do subscriptions work?
Cost varies by location and therapist availability; sessions use a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.