Melissa Benson, LMHC, LCMHC

Melissa Benson is a licensed mental health counselor with 24 years of experience in Florida. She helps people manage stress, anxiety, grief, depression, addiction, and other life changes with practical support and steady guidance.

Her style is respectful and compassionate. Conversations are tailored to each person’s needs and pace. She focuses on clear goals and straightforward tools that can be used between sessions.

Melissa uses methods that help people change unhelpful thoughts, build new habits, and stay present in difficult moments. She blends problem-solving with listening so clients feel heard and also leave with next steps they can try right away.

Clients can expect sessions that balance talking through feelings and practicing concrete skills. Melissa emphasizes collaboration - the client and therapist work together to shape the plan. She aims to make the therapy process understandable and down-to-earth.

Her background includes long-term clinical work supporting people through addiction recovery, grief, and major life transitions. Melissa holds the Licensed Mental Health Counselor credential in Florida and the Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor credential in Utah, and she draws on two decades of hands-on experience to inform each session.

How Melissa’s approaches translate to online work

Client-centered therapy starts by focusing on what matters most to the client. The therapist listens carefully and follows the client’s lead, helping them name priorities and set goals. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) teaches ways to notice and change unhelpful thoughts and behaviors, which can reduce anxiety and improve mood through step-by-step strategies. Mindfulness therapy offers simple exercises to increase present-moment awareness and reduce reactivity to strong emotions.

Finding the right mix of approaches is part of the work. Melissa will collaborate with each person to decide which methods feel helpful, adjusting plans based on progress and preferences. That collaborative process helps keep the work practical and relevant to daily life.

Confirm current session options before booking, as the profile does not list specific formats. Online therapy can make it easier to fit sessions into a busy week, reduce travel time, and allow for follow-up between meetings. Some approaches lend themselves to short skill-practice or homework between visits, which works well in an online schedule. Discussing what will work logistically is part of initial scheduling so sessions fit into real routines.