Melanie Fikse brings a client-centered, trauma-informed way of working to sessions.
01About Melanie
Melanie Fikse brings a client-centered, trauma-informed way of working to sessions. She is a California LPCC with 12 years of clinical experience supporting adults through stress, anxiety, depression, grief, and trauma. Melanie offers steady, practical guidance aimed at helping people notice small changes that add up to real shifts.
Her approach emphasizes collaboration and strength. Sessions focus on identifying values, building coping skills, and practicing new habits. Melanie uses techniques from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to help people reduce unhelpful patterns and make choices that match their goals.
Background and approach
Melanie has extensive experience with mood disorders, including bipolar disorder and depression. She also works with people dealing with addiction, post-traumatic stress, and personality-related challenges. Concerns such as abandonment, codependency, guilt and shame, and loneliness are also part of her practice.
Her background includes a master’s degree from New York University and many years in community mental health in New York, followed by practice in rural California. That mix of urban clinic experience and quieter community practice shapes a practical, down-to-earth style. In sessions she blends empathy with skill-building.
People can expect to be listened to, to learn tools for coping, and to try small experiments between meetings. Melanie sees her role as a collaborator who helps people find and use their inner strengths.
02Credentials
- LPCC (California)
- License 3363 · expires May 2026
- NPI
- 1164730560 · national provider identifier
Both are public records. A state board register will confirm a license and its standing, and the national registry will confirm an NPI. This directory copies what the counselor lists and checks neither.
03Focus areas and approaches
Everything Melanie lists on their public professional profile, in their own terms.
- Stress, Anxiety
- Trauma and abuse
- Grief
- Bipolar disorder
- Depression
- Addictions
- LGBT
- Relationship issues
- Family conflicts
- Anger management
- Self esteem
- Coping with life changes
- Compassion fatigue
- Abandonment
- Codependency
- Emptiness
- Family problems
- Forgiveness
- Guilt and shame
- Impulsivity
- Isolation / loneliness
- Mood disorders
- Paranoia
- Personality disorders
- Post-traumatic stress
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Self-harm
- Self-love
- Sexual assault and abuse
- Women's issues
- Young adult issues
Methods Melanie names
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
- Client-Centered Therapy
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Trauma-Focused Therapy
These are the methods Melanie names on their own professional profile. Naming an approach is not evidence of training or certification in it, and this directory checks no training records. Ask directly if it matters to you.
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04Online support
Therapeutic approaches and how they work online
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps people clarify what matters most and take small steps toward those values even when difficult thoughts or feelings show up. It is useful for anxiety, depression, and coping with life changes. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) focuses on identifying unhelpful thoughts and testing them with real-life experiments, which can reduce symptoms of mood disorders and anxiety and build new habits.Finding the right approach is part of the work. Melanie will collaborate with each person to choose techniques that fit their situation, goals, and preferences. That may mean blending ACT and CBT or shifting focus to trauma-informed methods when needed. Decisions are made together and adjusted as progress unfolds.
Online therapy offers flexible ways to connect. Video calls let people see facial cues and practice techniques in real time. Phone sessions can be a good option when bandwidth is limited or a shorter check-in is needed. Live chat and text-based messaging work well for brief support, daily skill practice, or keeping momentum between longer sessions. These formats help people fit therapy into busy schedules and maintain continuity across life transitions.
05Questions people ask
What concerns does Melanie help with?
She works with adults facing stress, anxiety, depression, grief, trauma, bipolar disorder, addictions, relationship and family issues, anger, self-esteem problems, and compassion fatigue, among other concerns.
What is her general therapeutic style?
Her style is client-centered and trauma-informed, emphasizing collaboration, warmth, and practical skill-building tailored to each person's goals.
How much clinical experience does she have?
She has 12 years of experience working with adults in community mental health and outpatient settings.
Where is she licensed and based?
She practices in California and holds the credential LPCC, listed as CA LPCC in her profile.
Which languages are supported for sessions?
Sessions are offered in English.
What session formats are available?
Therapy is offered via video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging.
How does cost and billing work?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability and sessions use a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.
How do I get started with therapy?
Click the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule sessions according to therapist availability.
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