Profile / Australia
Melissa Stokes, AASW, AHPRA
Australia
AASW social worker - anxiety and trauma
See online therapy options- Cognitive Behavioural Therapy
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
- Attachment-based work
About Melissa
Melissa Stokes is an AASW social worker registered with AHPRA and has 25 years of professional experience in mental health. She helps people facing stress, anxiety, LGBT issues, trauma and abuse, grief, depression, bipolar disorder, ADHD and life changes. She also works with concerns such as parenting, sleep, eating, self-esteem and career pressures.
Melissa draws on practical, skills-based methods to help people notice unhelpful thoughts and patterns. Sessions focus on clear strategies and small experiments to test different ways of responding. She uses structured techniques alongside conversations about feelings and relationships.
Her background includes work in domestic violence services, child, adolescent and adult community mental health, youth justice, rape and sexual assault services, hospitals and both public and private practice. That range gave her experience with trauma, crisis responses and family stressors. She also supervises students and other professionals entering the field.
Melissa describes her approach as integrative. She uses cognitive and behaviour-focused methods together with attachment and person-centred ideas. Therapy commonly includes psychoeducation, skills training and short exercises to reduce distress and build coping skills.
She has been involved in research on gendered violence and a thesis examining online mindfulness users and motivation to learn. Outside work she spends time hiking, foraging, playing music and board games, practising yoga and walking her dogs.
How CBT, ACT and attachment work in online sessions
Melissa often uses Cognitive Behavioural Therapy to help people identify unhelpful thoughts and patterns and try practical alternatives. CBT sessions involve setting clear goals, practising small experiments and using worksheets or brief exercises to track progress.She also uses Acceptance and Commitment Therapy to help people notice difficult thoughts and choose actions that match their values. ACT focuses on defusion and committed action rather than trying to eliminate thoughts. Attachment-based work looks at relationship patterns and how early attachments affect current reactions, which can be useful for trauma, relationship stress and parenting concerns.
Deciding which approach to use is collaborative. The therapist will talk through goals, preferences and what has worked before, then agree on a plan that may combine methods. Clients can try techniques in short steps and review what helps most.
Session formats are not specified here, so confirm current online options before booking. The online format can make it easier to fit sessions into work or family schedules, keep appointments during travel, and choose quieter surroundings or shorter check-ins when needed. Appropriately registered therapists aim to make practical use of online sessions with worksheets, skills coaching and regular progress reviews.
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
25+ years
Listed in
Australia
Languages
English
Frequently asked questions
What concerns does she commonly help with?
She works with stress, anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, ADHD and trauma as well as grief, parenting strain, sleep and eating issues.
How does she structure therapy sessions?
Sessions are practical and skills-focused, using structured techniques, psychoeducation and short exercises to test different responses.
What is her professional experience?
Melissa has 25 years of work across domestic violence services, community mental health, youth justice, hospitals and public and private practice.
What credentials and location apply?
She is listed with the AASW and AHPRA and practises in Australia.
Which languages are supported?
Sessions are offered in English.
Can people outside Australia work with her?
International clients are not currently accepted.
How are fees and payments handled?
Cost varies with location and sessions use a subscription that can be cancelled at any time.
What do I do to begin?
Select the See online therapy options button, complete a short matching questionnaire and schedule a first session.
Details come from information the counsellor supplied to BetterHelp. A registration can be checked with the body that issued it.
Online talk therapy is not emergency care. If you are not safe, use the crisis numbers.