Melanie Fikse

Compassionate CBT-informed counselor helping build practical skills

LPCC California

Experience: 12 years in practice
Focus areas: Stress, Anxiety, Trauma and abuse, Grief
Approaches: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
Languages: English

About Melanie

Melanie Fikse brings a cognitive behavioral orientation to her clinical work, pairing practical skills with a trauma-informed, client-centered stance to help people move toward greater stability and meaning.

Background and approach

She approaches therapy as a collaborative process, meeting each person where they are while offering tools to manage stress, anxiety, mood symptoms, and the effects of past trauma. Melanie emphasizes strengths and practical interventions alongside exploration of difficult feelings.

Melanie is a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC) practicing in California with 12 years of experience. Her background includes work in community mental health settings and extended practice in a rural California community, where she draws on calm surroundings to inform a reflective approach.

She works with concerns such as depression, bipolar disorder, grief, addictions, relationship and family problems, compassion fatigue, and a range of trauma-related issues. Clients can expect a warm, down-to-earth clinician who uses evidence-informed methods like CBT and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy while remaining attentive to each person’s unique story.

She also integrates trauma-focused strategies when appropriate and aims to empower clients to build coping skills, improve self-esteem, and reclaim a greater sense of agency.

How evidence-informed approaches translate online

Melanie integrates Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy into her online practice, using each approach to address different needs. CBT focuses on identifying and changing unhelpful thoughts and behaviors, offering structured tools for managing anxiety, depression, and mood symptoms. ACT emphasizes clarifying values and developing psychological flexibility, helping people live in ways that reflect what matters to them even when difficult emotions are present.

Finding the right therapeutic approach is part of the process, and Melanie treats approach selection as collaborative. She will work with clients to consider their goals, symptom patterns, life context, and treatment preferences to determine whether CBT, ACT, trauma-focused strategies, or a mix of methods is the best fit for the work ahead.

Online therapy with Melanie is available through video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging, allowing flexibility for different schedules and comfort levels. These formats make it easier to access care from home or elsewhere, maintain continuity when life is busy, and use shorter or more frequent touchpoints when useful for skill-building and emotional support.

Frequently asked questions

What concerns does this therapist commonly address?

Melanie works with a broad range of issues including stress, anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, grief, addictions, trauma and abuse, relationship and family problems, compassion fatigue, anger, self-esteem, and coping with life changes.

How would you describe her therapeutic style?

Her style is client-centered, collaborative, and strength-based, combining trauma-informed listening with practical interventions drawn from approaches like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy.

What is her professional background and experience?

She has 12 years of clinical experience, including work in community mental health settings and practice based in a rural area of California.

What credentials does she hold and where is she located?

She is an LPCC with the designation CA LPCC 3363 and practices in California.

Does she offer services in other languages or to international clients?

Sessions are offered in English, and she is not accepting international clients at this time.

Which session formats are available for appointments?

Appointments can be scheduled as video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging to accommodate different preferences.

How are sessions priced and billed?

Cost varies with location and therapist availability; sessions are provided through a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.

What are the steps to begin working together?

To start, select the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and then schedule sessions according to the therapist's availability.

Areas of expertise

Primary focus

Stress, Anxiety Trauma and abuse GriefBipolar disorderDepression

Also works with

AddictionsLGBTRelationship issuesFamily conflictsAnger managementSelf esteem Coping with life changes Compassion fatigue

Additional focus areas

AbandonmentCodependencyEmptinessFamily problemsForgivenessGuilt and shame Impulsivity Isolation / loneliness Mood disordersParanoiaPersonality disordersPost-traumatic stressSeasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)Self-harmSelf-loveSexual assault and abuseWomen's issuesYoung adult issues

Therapeutic approaches

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)Client-Centered TherapyCognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)Trauma-Focused Therapy

Experience

12+ years

Licensed

California

Languages

English