Melissa Averett

Melissa Averett is a Licensed Professional Counselor with 14 years of clinical experience. She holds a Master of Education in Counseling from Southeastern Louisiana University and has worked in both residential and outpatient settings. Melissa centers her work on practical steps that help people feel steadier in day-to-day life.

She spent four years supporting women in a residential addiction setting and nine years providing outpatient counseling for adults facing a wide range of struggles and mental illness. That mix of settings shaped a straightforward approach that balances listening with hands-on skills training. Melissa often helps people manage stress, anxiety, low self-esteem, depression, and anger.

Her counseling draws on Client-Centered Therapy to build a warm, respectful working relationship. She uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to help people notice unhelpful thoughts and test new thinking. That combination aims to make sessions feel both supportive and useful.

Melissa teaches practical tools such as healthy boundary setting, ways to improve self-esteem, and assertive communication skills. She also works with people coping with grief, trauma, divorce and separation, parenting strain, addictions, ADHD, and bipolar-related concerns. Her focus includes family of origin issues, blended family challenges, and forgiveness work.

Sessions emphasize clear goals and real-world skills. Melissa describes herself as empathic and engaged, and she helps people work toward manageable changes over time.

How Melissa uses client-centered and CBT approaches online

Melissa uses Client-Centered Therapy to build a respectful, empathic bond. This approach focuses on listening, reflecting what a person says, and helping them name their goals and priorities. It is useful when someone needs support sorting feelings and deciding what to change.

She also uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, which looks at connections between thoughts, feelings, and actions. CBT offers clear tools for spotting unhelpful thinking and trying different responses, which can help with anxiety, mood changes, anger, and coping skills.

Finding the right approach is a collaborative process. The therapist will work with the person to decide which methods fit their goals and preferences, and adjust the plan over time based on what is helpful.

If you are considering online work, confirm the specific session options before booking. Online therapy can make it easier to fit appointments into a busy life, reduce travel time, and allow consistent check-ins when schedules are tight. Some people prefer shorter check-ins or phone conversations when bandwidth or quiet time is limited, so it is practical to discuss which format will work best for day-to-day life.