Profile / United States
Melissa Colton, LMHC
Florida
Licensed Mental Health Counselor - Anxiety and Mood concerns
See online therapy options- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
- Mindfulness methods
- Skills for daily life
About Melissa
Melissa Colton is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) in Florida with 27 years of clinical experience. She helps people who are coping with anxiety, depression, trauma, mood concerns, and stress-related problems. Her work also addresses issues such as relationship and intimacy concerns, parenting strain, addiction, and questions around life purpose and identity.
She uses clear, structured methods including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) alongside client-centered and mindfulness approaches. Sessions focus on noticing unhelpful thoughts and habits, trying practical alternatives, and building useful skills for everyday life. Melissa also draws on techniques from Dialectical Behavior Therapy and existential work when those fit a person’s goals.
Melissa aims for straightforward conversations about what’s not working and what might change. She emphasizes practical steps - small experiments, behavioral adjustments, and thought records - so people can test new ways of responding. She also helps people address guilt, shame, social anxiety, and career or parenting stress in concrete terms.
Her background includes long-term clinical work in Florida and experience providing telehealth services. Melissa describes therapy as collaborative; she works with people to set goals and track progress over time. Sessions are conducted in English and she does not accept international clients.
To begin, prospective clients follow the site process to match and schedule a first appointment. Costs vary by location and sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
How Melissa uses structured therapies for online work
Melissa often combines Cognitive Behavioral Therapy with client-centered techniques. CBT focuses on spotting unhelpful thoughts and testing different responses through simple behavioral experiments and thought records. This approach is useful for anxiety, depression, mood regulation, and social anxiety concerns.She also uses client-centered methods that emphasize listening and collaborative goal setting. This helps people clarify what they want to change and decide on practical steps. Dialectical Behavior Therapy techniques are used when emotion regulation and interpersonal effectiveness skills are needed, offering concrete tools for managing intense feelings.
Choosing which approach to use is a collaborative part of the work. The therapist will talk with the client about goals, try an approach, and adjust based on what proves helpful. That means the method can change as needs and preferences become clearer.
The site process outlines how to move from matching to booking a first session. Because session formats are not specified in the biography, confirm the current online session options before scheduling. Online sessions can make it easier to fit therapy into a busy week, allow shorter check-ins when needed, and let people work on skills between appointments without extra travel.
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
27+ years
Listed in
Florida
Languages
English
Frequently asked questions
What kinds of problems does she help with most often?
She works with stress, anxiety, depression, mood disorders, trauma and abuse, and related concerns such as addictions and relationship issues.
How does she use Cognitive Behavioral Therapy?
CBT is used to identify unhelpful thoughts and habits and to test practical alternatives through small experiments and skill practice.
What is her clinical background and experience?
She has 27 years of experience in mental health practice and has provided telehealth services over many years.
What credentials and location are listed?
She is an LMHC licensed in Florida and practices from that state.
Are sessions offered in any other languages?
Sessions are offered in English.
Can I work with her from another country?
International clients are not currently accepted; sessions are provided to clients located in the therapist's licensed jurisdiction.
How are fees and payments handled?
Cost varies with location and sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
What are the steps to get started?
Use the See online therapy options button, complete the short matching questionnaire, and schedule your 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 you are not safe, use the crisis numbers.