Melissa Sonthonax, LMHC

Melissa Sonthonax is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) practicing in Florida. She uses a practical, person-focused approach to help people manage stress, anxiety, depression, relationship struggles, and addictions. Melissa focuses on building everyday skills and clearer goals so clients can feel more capable in daily life.

She blends client-centered listening with structured techniques to address specific problems. That can mean working on thought patterns that fuel panic or anxiety, practicing mindful habits to reduce overwhelm, or using motivational interviewing to find reasons to change substance use or other behaviors. Sessions emphasize small, doable steps clients can use between meetings.

Melissa draws on a decade of experience in mental health care. She helps people facing low self-esteem, social anxiety, codependency, and feelings of emptiness. She also supports those wrestling with anger, intimacy-related issues, career stress, and financial worries as part of life change work.

Her style is collaborative and goal-oriented. She and the client build an individualized plan that targets specific behaviors and skills. Therapy often focuses on improving communication, reducing impulsivity, and strengthening self-love through real-life practice.

Clients can expect straightforward guidance and a calm space to talk through hard topics. Melissa aims to help people move from feeling stuck to having clear next steps and greater confidence in coping with life.

How Melissa’s approaches translate to online work

Melissa often uses client-centered therapy to start, which means a strong focus on listening and understanding the person’s experience. That approach helps identify the most pressing problems and the kinds of goals someone wants to set.

She also uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, which looks at the links between thoughts, feelings, and actions. CBT is useful for anxiety, panic attacks, depression, and patterns that keep someone stuck. Mindfulness Therapy is another element she brings in to teach simple attention and breathing skills that reduce reactivity and help with stress and cravings.

Finding the right approach is part of the process. The therapist will work together with the client to choose or adapt methods based on needs, goals, and preferences. That means plans can change over time as progress is made or new challenges appear.

Session formats are not listed in the biography, so confirm current options before booking. Online therapy can make it easier to fit appointments into a busy week, allow brief check-ins when a full session isn’t possible, and reduce travel time. It also makes it simpler to practice new skills in real life between meetings while staying connected with a licensed professional.