Melissa Sonthonax

Melissa Sonthonax is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) practicing in Florida. She brings a decade of experience helping people manage stress, anxiety, depression, and career concerns. Her work focuses on building practical skills and realistic goals so people can feel more capable in daily life.

She uses a person-centered way of working that begins by listening to each person's story. From there she helps set clear, manageable steps aimed at reducing symptoms and improving confidence. Clients can expect to practice new behaviors that support steady change rather than relying on quick fixes.

Melissa draws on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to identify unhelpful thinking patterns and change them through small, doable actions. She also uses Mindfulness Therapy to teach basic attention and breathing skills that calm anxiety and improve focus. Motivational Interviewing helps when someone feels stuck or unsure about making changes.

Her background includes a master’s degree in psychology and clinical work with people facing anxiety, social anxiety, low self-esteem, life transitions, and addiction-related concerns. She emphasizes individualized plans because each situation is different and practical steps need tailoring.

In sessions she aims to create a straightforward, nonjudgmental space where people can talk through struggles and set attainable goals. Her focus is on helping people take actions that increase confidence, ease daily functioning, and move toward the life they want.

How Melissa’s approaches translate to online therapy

Melissa uses Client-Centered Therapy to start by hearing each person's experience and priorities, then shaping sessions around what matters most to that person. This approach helps when someone needs a listening space and practical guidance for daily problems.

She also uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to identify patterns of thinking that fuel anxiety or low mood and to practice small, concrete behavior changes. CBT works well for managing panic, social anxiety, and routine worries by breaking problems into step-by-step tasks.

Finding the right approach is part of the work. Melissa will collaborate with each person to decide which methods fit their goals and preferences. That means adjusting techniques and pacing based on progress and what feels useful in real life.

Online therapy can make it easier to fit sessions into a busy schedule and to continue care during life transitions. Because the biography did not specify session formats, confirm the available online options before booking. Many people find remote sessions helpful for shorter check-ins, practicing skills between meetings, and keeping therapy consistent alongside work and family demands.