Dr. Melody Madaris
Clinical counselor focused on practical change
LCPC Illinois
- Experience
- 14 years in practice
- Focus areas
- Addictions, Trauma and abuse, Bipolar
- Approaches
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
- Languages
- English
About Melody
Dr. Melody Madaris is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC) with 14 years of clinical and administrative experience in behavioral health.
Background and approach
She draws on evidence-informed methods, including cognitive behavioral therapy, to help people identify patterns that keep them stuck and build practical skills for change. Her background centers on trauma, substance use, and mood disorders, and she combines a direct focus on problem-solving with empathic, client-centered care.
In addition to clinical work, she oversees a large community mental health operation in Illinois, managing co-occurring disorder programs, a residential treatment facility, outpatient services, a 24-hour mobile crisis program, an employee assistance program, and substance abuse prevention and mental health awareness initiatives.
That administrative role informs her perspective on systems, continuity of care, and what supports sustainable recovery. Dr.
Madaris emphasizes partnership in setting goals and creating measurable steps toward wellbeing. She frames treatment as a collaborative process that balances skill-building with attention to each person’s lived experience, aiming to help clients initiate and maintain meaningful change.
Therapeutic approaches and online care
Dr. Madaris commonly uses cognitive behavioral therapy and acceptance and commitment therapy to guide online work. CBT focuses on identifying unhelpful thoughts and behaviors and building concrete skills to change them, which can help with mood disorders, panic, addiction, and coping with life changes. ACT emphasizes values-based action and mindfulness to increase psychological flexibility and can be useful for chronic stress, grief, and persistent emotional pain.Choosing the right approach is part of the therapeutic process, and she approaches that decision collaboratively. She partners with clients to explore goals, preferences, and responses to different strategies, then adapts methods over time so the plan fits each person’s needs and life circumstances.
Online formats offered include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging, which make it easier to fit care into busy schedules or when in-person visits are not practical. These options provide flexibility for follow-up, skill practice, and ongoing coaching while maintaining continuity with licensed professionals and therapists who can adjust intervention pacing and format as work progresses.
Frequently asked questions
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Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
14+ years
Licensed
Illinois
Languages
English