Therapist profile
Melissa Sonthonax, LMHC
Florida
Licensed Mental Health Counselor - Anger and Anxiety
Continue with MelissaKey details
- CredentialsLMHC
- LicenseLMHC, Florida / MH15970
- NPI1235617093
- Experience10 years
- LanguagesEnglish
- LocationFlorida
About
- CBT techniques
- Mindfulness practice
- Goal focused work
About Melissa
Melissa Sonthonax is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) in Florida with 10 years of clinical experience. She works with people dealing with stress, anxiety, relationship strain, low self-esteem, career concerns, life changes, addictions, anger, depression, and related issues. Sessions are conducted in English.
She focuses on practical steps clients can use day to day. Melissa helps people set clear, achievable goals and practices outer behaviors that tend to build confidence. She emphasizes straightforward skills rather than abstract theory.
Her work draws on several evidence-based approaches. Melissa uses client-centered techniques to listen and validate a person's experience. She also applies cognitive behavioral tools to spot unhelpful thoughts and replace them with more useful patterns.
Mindfulness methods are part of her toolkit for managing intense feelings and reducing reactivity. Motivational interviewing helps people clarify what matters to them and move toward change at their own pace.
Melissa has particular interest in attachment and abandonment concerns, codependency, communication problems, impulsivity, addiction-related challenges, and issues around guilt, shame, and forgiveness. She also supports people facing isolation, emptiness, and questions of life purpose.
Her style is practical and goal-oriented: clients can expect to leave sessions with specific actions to practice between meetings. To begin, she asks people to complete a short matching questionnaire and then schedule a first session.
How sessions work
How Melissa uses therapeutic approaches online
Client-Centered Therapy focuses on listening and reflecting the client’s experience. It helps people feel understood and supports them in identifying their own goals and next steps. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, breaks problems into thoughts, feelings, and behaviors and teaches practical skills to change unhelpful patterns. It is often used for anger, anxiety, and depression.Mindfulness Therapy brings attention to present-moment experience and teaches simple practices to reduce reactivity and increase emotional regulation. These approaches are used together to provide both insight and concrete skills that can be practiced between sessions.
Finding the right approach is part of the work. Melissa collaborates with each person to choose methods that fit their needs, goals, and preferences. She adapts tools over time so the plan evolves as progress is made.
The biography does not specify which online session formats are offered, so confirm current options before booking. Online work can make it easier to fit sessions into a busy schedule, allow shorter check-ins when needed, and remove travel time. Licensed professionals often find these practical benefits help people stay consistent with therapy while working on anger, anxiety, and daily coping skills.
Areas of focus
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
10+ years
Listed in
Florida
Languages
English
Questions
Frequently asked questions
What kinds of problems does she help with?
She helps people with stress, anxiety, relationship and self-esteem concerns as well as anger, depression, addictions, and life changes.
What is her therapy style like?
Her style is practical and goal-oriented, using client-centered listening alongside structured techniques to change thoughts and behaviors.
How long has she been practicing?
She has 10 years of experience working with people who face a range of mental health and everyday life challenges.
What are her credentials and where is she based?
She is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) licensed in Florida and practices from that state.
Does she offer sessions in other languages or to international clients?
Sessions are offered in English. She is not accepting international clients.
What session formats does she provide?
The original biography does not list specific session formats; please confirm current session options before booking.
How are session fees handled?
Cost varies with location and sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
How do I start working with her?
Start by selecting the See online therapy options button, completing a short matching questionnaire, and scheduling a first session.
Details come from information the therapist supplied to BetterHelp. A license can be checked with the state board.
Online talk therapy is not emergency care. If anyone is unsafe, use the crisis numbers.