Works with
- Anger
- Stress, Anxiety
- Family conflicts
- Trauma and abuse
- Depression
- ADHD
How Melissa works
Practical facts
- Credentials
- LCSW
- Licensed in
- Maine, New Hampshire
- Years in practice
- 25
- Languages
- English
- Session format
- Online, through our partner platform
About Melissa
Melissa Fernald is a licensed clinical social worker with a long history in mental health and addiction care. She brings 25 years of experience and a practical outlook to sessions. Melissa focuses on clear goals and usable skills rather than long, unfocused treatment plans.
She describes herself as calm, down-to-earth, and nonjudgmental. Melissa uses honesty and a little humor to help people feel safe enough to talk about hard things.
Background and approach
Her style is strength-based and solution-focused, which means she builds on what already works for each person. In sessions she helps people who are dealing with stress, anxiety, depression, trauma and abuse, addictions, anger, and issues around relationships and intimacy. She also supports people facing parenting strain, caregiver stress, life changes, and career questions.
Melissa works with concerns like impulsivity, codependency, and feelings of guilt and shame. Melissa combines several practical approaches to fit each person’s needs. She draws on techniques from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, cognitive behavioral methods, and attachment-informed ideas.
She also uses client-centered listening and skills from dialectical behavior approaches when needed. The emphasis is on learning tools that can be used between sessions to manage symptoms and make decisions. She offers therapy in Maine and conducts sessions by video call, phone, live chat, or text-based messaging.
Sessions use a subscription model that can be canceled at any time. To begin, a person completes a short matching questionnaire and schedules sessions according to Melissa’s availability.
What Melissa works with
Everything Melissa lists, in the therapist's own terms. Anger is the reason this directory exists; the rest tells you what usually sits alongside it in Melissa's practice.
- Stress, Anxiety
- Family conflicts
- Trauma and abuse
- Depression
- ADHD
- Addictions
- Relationship issues
- Intimacy-related issues
- Eating disorders
- Parenting issues
- Anger management
- Self esteem
- Career difficulties
- Bipolar disorder
- Coping with life changes
- Coaching
- Compassion fatigue
- Abandonment
- Blended family issues
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Co-morbidity
- Codependency
- Communication problems
- Control issues
- Divorce and separation
- Domestic violence
- Drug and alcohol addiction
- Family problems
- First responder issues
- Guilt and shame
- Impulsivity
- Life purpose
- Midlife crisis
- Mood disorders
- Obsessions, compulsions, and OCD
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Postpartum depression
- Post-traumatic stress
- Pregnancy and childbirth
- Process addiction (porn, exercise, gambling)
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Self-harm
- Sexual assault and abuse
- Smoking / vaping cessation
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Women's issues
- Workplace issues
- Young adult issues
Approaches Melissa lists
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
- Attachment-Based Therapy
- Client-Centered Therapy
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
- Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT)
- Existential Therapy
- Mindfulness Therapy
- Motivational Interviewing
- Narrative Therapy
- Solution-Focused Therapy
- 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.
Practical approaches for online therapy
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy helps people notice difficult thoughts and feelings without getting stuck in them. It focuses on choosing actions that match one’s values and can help with anxiety, stress, and life changes. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy breaks problems into thoughts, feelings, and behaviors and teaches concrete skills to change unhelpful patterns. CBT can be useful for depression, anxiety, impulsivity, and anger management.Choosing the right approach is a collaborative part of therapy. Melissa will listen to concerns, review goals, and suggest approaches that fit the person’s needs and preferences. Together they try methods for a few sessions and adjust what isn’t working to find a better fit.
Online therapy offers practical flexibility. Video calls allow face-to-face conversation when more connection is helpful. Phone sessions can be a good option when bandwidth is limited or a quieter check-in is needed. Live chat and text-based messaging make it easier to fit shorter conversations into a busy day and to follow up between sessions. These options make it simpler to maintain continuity of care while balancing work, family, and other responsibilities.
Questions people ask about Melissa
What concerns does Melissa commonly address?
She helps people manage stress, anxiety, depression, trauma and abuse, addictions, anger, relationship and intimacy issues, and related areas like parenting strain and caregiver stress.
How would you describe her therapeutic style?
Her style is calm, down-to-earth, and nonjudgmental. She emphasizes strengths, practical skills, and clear goals to help people make steady progress.
What is her background and experience?
Melissa has 25 years of experience working in mental health and addiction settings, including hospitals, community programs, and independent practice.
What credentials and location are listed?
She is a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) licensed in Maine and New Hampshire and practices from Maine.
Which languages are supported for sessions?
Sessions are offered in English.
What session formats are available?
She works by video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging to suit different needs and schedules.
How are sessions priced?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability; sessions use a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.
What steps are involved in getting started?
Begin by selecting the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and then schedule sessions according to the therapist's availability.