- Compassionate presence
- Skills focused
- Strengths oriented
About Melanie
Melanie Fikse is a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC) in California who focuses on helping people move past stuck patterns. She speaks plainly and offers a steady, compassionate presence. Many clients come for help with anxiety, depression, grief, trauma, or struggles around relationships and codependency.
Her style is collaborative and client-centered. She starts by listening so clients feel seen and understood. From there she offers practical skills to manage symptoms and to make small changes that add up over time.
Melanie has twelve years of experience working with adults. She spent many years in New York City at a community mental health clinic and later worked in rural California. Those settings shaped her ability to support people from different backgrounds and life situations.
In sessions she uses approaches such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy alongside trauma-focused methods. She brings straightforward techniques like mindfulness and emotion-management tools, and she tailors the work to each person’s needs.
Clients describe her as down to earth and compassionate while also offering concrete tools. She emphasizes strengths and helps people build routines and habits that reduce overwhelm. If someone is ready to take a step toward change, she aims to support and empower that process.
Approaches that guide online work
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) encourages people to notice thoughts and feelings without getting stuck in them, then choose actions that align with personal values. It can help with anxiety, avoidance, and struggles around meaning or motivation.Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) focuses on identifying unhelpful thinking patterns and testing them with real-life experiments. It offers practical tools for depression, mood swings, and persistent worry.
Trauma-focused methods address how past upsetting events affect current reactions and relationships. These approaches offer skills to reduce flashbacks, manage triggers, and rebuild routines after trauma.
Finding the right approach is a team effort. Melanie works collaboratively to figure out which methods fit a person's needs, goals, and preferences. She adjusts strategies over time based on what helps in day-to-day life.
If you are considering online sessions, confirm current session options before booking so you know what formats are available. Many people appreciate online work because it can make attending sessions easier to fit into a busy day, allow a shorter check-in when needed, or avoid travel. Licensed professionals can still offer focused skills work, guided exercises, and ongoing support through remote appointments.
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
12+ years
Credentials
California
Languages
English
Frequently asked questions
What concerns does Melanie help with?
She helps people with stress, anxiety, depression, grief, trauma and abuse, bipolar symptoms, addictions, relationship and family issues, anger, low self-esteem, and codependency among other concerns.
What is her general therapy style?
Her approach is client-centered and collaborative, focusing on listening first and then offering practical skills and strategies that fit each person's goals.
What kind of experience does she bring?
She has twelve years of experience working with adults, including time in a New York City community mental health clinic and later practice in rural California.
What are her credentials and location?
She is a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor - LPCC - practicing in California.
In which language are sessions offered?
Sessions are offered in English.
Can international clients work with her?
She does not accept international clients at this time.
How are costs and billing handled?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability, and sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
How do I begin working with her?
Click the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and then schedule according to the therapist's availability.
Profile details come from information the therapist supplied to BetterHelp. Credential and registration rules differ between the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia.