Works with
- Anger
- Stress, Anxiety
- Relationship issues
- Trauma and abuse
- Self esteem
- Depression
How Melissa works
Practical facts
- Credentials
- LICSW
- Licensed in
- Minnesota
- Years in practice
- 10
- Languages
- English
- Session format
- Online, through our partner platform
About Melissa
Melissa Maaske is a licensed clinical social worker with ten years of experience helping people navigate anxiety, stress, relationship struggles, and self-esteem concerns. She practices in Minnesota and focuses on clear, steady support for everyday problems that feel overwhelming. Her style is direct and compassionate, aimed at practical change rather than long explanations.
She helps people unpack what fuels their anxiety and anger. Sessions focus on concrete skills for coping, improved communication, and ways to manage intense emotions.
Background and approach
Melissa uses a mix of talk therapy and goal-focused work to make progress that fits a client’s life. Melissa draws on several therapeutic approaches to meet different needs. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy looks at thoughts and behaviors to reduce symptoms.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy teaches emotion regulation and distress tolerance skills. Motivational Interviewing supports people who want to change habits like substance use or unhealthy patterns. Her approach is collaborative and straightforward.
She and the person in therapy set small, realistic steps and track what helps. Melissa pays attention to trauma, grief, and life transitions while staying focused on what a client needs now. People seeking help for anger, addiction, identity questions, caregiver stress, or ADHD-related challenges can find practical tools in sessions.
The emphasis is on usable strategies for everyday life, clearer communication, and greater emotional control. Melissa aims to make therapy useful and understandable from the first visit.
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
- Relationship issues
- Trauma and abuse
- Self esteem
- Depression
- Addictions
- LGBT
- Family conflicts
- Grief
- Intimacy-related issues
- Eating disorders
- Anger management
- Career difficulties
- Coping with life changes
- Compassion fatigue
- ADHD
- Abandonment
- Adoption and foster care
- Attachment issues
- Blended family issues
- Body image
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Codependency
- Commitment issues
- Communication problems
- Control issues
- Coping with natural or human-caused disaster
- Dissociation
- Divorce and separation
- Drug and alcohol addiction
- Eating and food-related issues
- Emptiness
- Family of origin issues
- Family problems
- Fertility issues
- Forgiveness
- Gender dysphoria
- Guilt and shame
- Hoarding
- Infidelity
- Isolation / loneliness
- Jealousy
- Life purpose
- Midlife crisis
- Money and financial issues
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Personality disorders
- Phobias
- Polyamory / non-monogamous relationships
- Postpartum depression
- Post-traumatic stress
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Self-harm
- Self-love
- Sexual assault and abuse
- Sexuality
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Trichotillomania
- Women's issues
- Workplace issues
- Young adult issues
Approaches Melissa lists
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
- Motivational Interviewing
- Psychodynamic Therapy
- Solution-Focused Therapy
- Somatic Therapy
- Trauma-Focused Therapy
- Internal Family Systems
Listing an approach is not evidence of training in it. This directory copies what each therapist names and does not check training records.
Approaches that guide online sessions
Melissa often uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to help people spot unhelpful thoughts and change behaviors that keep problems going. CBT is practical and works well for anxiety, depression, and stress-related patterns.She also uses Dialectical Behavior Therapy to teach skills for managing strong emotions and improving relationships. DBT offers concrete tools for emotion regulation and distress tolerance that can be practiced between sessions.
Motivational Interviewing is another technique she brings when someone wants to make a change but feels stuck. It focuses on building motivation and small, achievable steps toward healthier choices.
Finding the right mix of approaches happens together. The therapist and client will talk about goals, try techniques, and adjust the plan based on what fits the person’s needs and preferences. This collaborative process helps pick methods that feel useful and realistic.
Online formats include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging. Video offers a face-to-face feel, phone can be easier when bandwidth is limited, live chat supports quicker check-ins, and messaging lets people share thoughts between sessions. These options make it easier to fit therapy into work, caregiving, or a busy schedule.
Questions people ask about Melissa
What concerns does Melissa address?
She works with stress, anxiety, relationship issues, trauma and abuse, self-esteem, depression, addictions, LGBT concerns, grief, and anger among other issues.
How would you describe her therapy style?
Her style is practical and collaborative, combining talking through problems with skill building and goal setting tailored to each person.
How much experience does she have?
Melissa has ten years of clinical experience working with a range of emotional and behavioral concerns.
What credentials and region are listed?
She holds a Minnesota Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker credential - MN LICSW - and practices in Minnesota.
In which language are sessions offered?
Sessions are offered in English and international clients are not currently accepted.
What session formats are available?
Therapy is provided via video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging to fit different schedules.
How are fees and billing handled?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability; sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
How do I begin working with her?
To start, select the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule according to therapist availability.