Melanie Fikse, LPCC - Therapist in California

About Melanie

Melanie Fikse brings a client-centered, trauma-informed approach to therapy. She is a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor - LPCC with twelve years of experience. Melanie focuses on practical steps people can use to feel steadier, manage symptoms, and regain a sense of control.

Her manner is warm and direct, aimed at helping someone who feels stuck take the next step toward change. She works with stress, anxiety, depression, grief, trauma and abuse, bipolar disorder, addictions, and a broad range of mood and personality concerns.

Background and approach

Melanie also addresses issues such as abandonment, codependency, guilt and shame, self-harm, and compassion fatigue. She is allied with the LGBT community and brings experience supporting people navigating life transitions. In sessions she blends Acceptance and Commitment Therapy - ACT and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy - CBT with trauma-focused care and client-centered listening.

That means she helps people notice thoughts and feelings, try new actions that match their values, and practice skills that reduce distress day to day. Her style balances practical tools with space to process painful experiences. Melanie trained at New York University and has worked in community mental health and rural California settings.

She describes her work as collaborative and strength-based. Clients can expect straightforward guidance, breathing and mindfulness practices, and concrete strategies to cope with symptoms. If someone wants to begin, Melanie emphasizes gentle pacing and building on what already works.

She aims to help people feel seen, understood, and better able to move forward in their daily lives.

Therapeutic approaches and online care that fit your life

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy - ACT helps people notice painful thoughts and feelings without getting stuck in them. It supports identifying what matters most and taking small committed steps toward those values. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy - CBT focuses on the links between thoughts, feelings, and actions and offers practical exercises to change unhelpful patterns and reduce symptoms. Trauma-Focused Therapy provides tools to address and process traumatic memories while teaching coping skills to manage strong emotions.

Finding the right approach is a collaborative process. The therapist will talk with each person about goals, history, and daily challenges, then recommend or combine methods that suit those needs. This lets the work adapt over time as progress and priorities change.

Online sessions offer flexibility through video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging. These formats make it easier to fit therapy into a busy life, maintain continuity during transitions, and use different ways of communicating depending on what feels most comfortable. Licensed professionals can use these options to teach skills, review exercises, and support changes between sessions.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)

Less about arguing with difficult thoughts, more about loosening their grip and acting on what matters to you anyway. Values and committed action carry the work, which suits conversation at a distance.

Client-Centered Therapy

The direction comes from you rather than from a set programme. The therapist offers a warm, non-judgemental space to think out loud and work at your own pace. Online, this rests on the relationship rather than on being in the same room.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

CBT looks at the link between what you think, how you feel, and what you do. You work on noticing unhelpful patterns and practising steadier responses. It suits online sessions well, because much of the work happens between appointments and can be talked through from anywhere.

Frequently asked questions

What concerns does Melanie address?

She works with stress, anxiety, depression, trauma and abuse, grief, bipolar disorder, addictions, and many mood and personality challenges. Additional focuses include abandonment, codependency, self-harm, and compassion fatigue.

What is her therapy style like?

Her work is client-centered and trauma-informed with practical skill-building. Sessions blend listening with tools from ACT and CBT so people can try new ways of coping.

How long has she been practicing?

Melanie has twelve years of professional experience working with adults in community and rural settings, including prior work in New York City and California.

What credentials and location should I know about?

She holds the LPCC credential and is licensed in California as CA LPCC 3363.

Which languages are supported for sessions?

Sessions are offered in English.

What session formats are available?

Therapy is offered through video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging to fit different needs.

How are fees and billing handled?

Cost varies with location and therapist availability and sessions are delivered through a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.

How do I begin working with her?

Start by selecting the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and then schedule sessions according to therapist availability.

Specialties and expertise

Top specialties

Also works with

Therapeutic approaches

Experience: 12 years
Licensed: California
Languages: English

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