- Emotion-focused work
- ACT and CBT methods
- Trauma informed practice
About Melissa
Melissa Stokes is a psychologist and AASW accredited social worker registered with AHPRA with 25 years of clinical experience in Australia. She works with stress, anxiety, grief, trauma and a wide range of other concerns including ADHD, depression, bipolar and issues related to LGBT identity. She also helps people facing parenting pressures, career questions, sleeping and eating difficulties, and life transitions.
Melissa draws on therapies that focus on emotions and attachment alongside cognitive and acceptance-based approaches. Sessions involve talking through patterns that keep problems active, learning practical skills to manage distress, and noticing how relationships or old hurts shape current feelings. She takes a straightforward, person-centred approach and uses evidence-based tools where they fit the person’s needs.
Her background includes work in hospitals, sexual assault services, youth justice, domestic violence services and both public and private mental health settings. That clinical range informs how she sees complex or overlapping difficulties and guides how she plans treatment with each person.
Melissa has been involved in research and supervision, including projects on assessment tools for first responders and a thesis on online mindfulness users. She supervises students and other professionals as they develop clinical skills.
Outside work she enjoys hiking, foraging, music, board games, cooking, yoga, comedy and spending time in gardens with her dogs. She welcomes people of all genders, cultures and sexual identities.
How Melissa uses emotion and acceptance approaches online
Melissa commonly draws on Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) alongside attachment-based ideas. EFT focuses on identifying and naming difficult emotions and the interaction patterns that keep people stuck, which can help with relationship-pattern issues and strong, hard-to-name feelings. ACT emphasises noticing thoughts and feelings while choosing actions that reflect personal values, often useful for anxiety, depression and life transitions.Finding the right approach is part of the work. Melissa will collaborate with each person to decide which methods fit their needs, goals and preferences. That collaborative planning can mean trying different techniques in early sessions and adjusting the focus as progress is made.
The biography does not list specific online session formats, so confirm the available options before booking. Online sessions can make it easier to fit therapy into a busy life, including shorter check-ins during a work break, avoiding travel time, or choosing a session without video if that feels better. Appropriately qualified or registered therapists can adapt EFT and ACT techniques for online use and tailor sessions to practical daily routines.
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
25+ years
Listed in
Australia
Languages
English
Frequently asked questions
What concerns does she commonly support?
She works with stress, anxiety, trauma, grief, depression, bipolar, ADHD and LGBT-related issues. She also helps with parenting strain, eating and sleeping problems, career concerns and life changes.
How would you describe her therapeutic style?
Her style is integrative and person-centred, using emotion-focused and attachment ideas alongside cognitive and acceptance-based techniques. Sessions mix talking, skills practice and psychoeducation.
How much clinical experience does she have?
She has 25 years of professional experience working across hospitals, sexual assault services, youth justice, domestic violence and community mental health settings.
What credentials and location are listed?
She is a psychologist and an AASW accredited social worker registered with AHPRA and works in Australia.
Which languages are supported and can international clients be seen?
Sessions are offered in English. International clients are not currently accepted.
What session formats are available?
The biography does not specify session formats. Please confirm current session options before booking.
How are fees handled?
Cost varies with location and sessions use a subscription that can be cancelled at any time.
How do I begin working with her?
Select the See online therapy options button, complete a short matching questionnaire and schedule a first session.
Profile details come from information the therapist supplied to BetterHelp. Credential and registration rules differ between the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia.