Melinna Perez, LMFT - Therapist in California

About Melinna

Melinna Perez is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) practicing in California with ten years of clinical experience. She focuses on family and parenting concerns alongside a wide range of individual issues. She speaks English and Spanish and offers sessions through video, phone, live chat, or text messaging.

Melinna aims to create a calm, respectful space where parents and family members can talk through what they are facing. Her background includes work in both outpatient and residential settings.

Background and approach

She has supported people with anxiety, depression, eating and body image concerns, trauma and abuse, grief, and bipolar-related challenges. She also addresses relationship and communication problems, parenting questions, and issues tied to adoption, attachment, and foster care. In sessions she mixes practical problem solving with emotional support.

She often uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to tackle unhelpful thoughts and behaviors. She also draws on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy to help people clarify values and build flexible coping skills. Melinna makes a point of listening first and following the client’s lead.

She uses Client-Centered Therapy principles to meet families where they are. When needed she brings in skills from Dialectical Behavior Therapy and Emotionally-Focused Therapy to address emotion regulation and relationship patterns. Her style is straightforward and warm.

Parents can expect a collaborative tone, clear tools to try between sessions, and space to process difficult feelings. Getting started involves a short matching questionnaire and scheduling based on therapist availability.

How evidence-based approaches translate to online therapy

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, or ACT, helps people notice painful thoughts without getting ruled by them and clarify what matters most in their lives. It can be useful for stress, anxiety, and coping with life changes. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, CBT, focuses on identifying and changing unhelpful thinking and behavior patterns one step at a time, which is helpful for anxiety, depression, and eating concerns. Emotionally-Focused Therapy, EFT, centers on emotion and attachment in relationships and can help couples and family members improve connection and communication.

Choosing the right approach is a collaborative process. The therapist will work with each client or family to pick methods that fit their goals and comfort level. Over time approaches can be blended or adjusted based on what is helping most.

Online therapy offers flexible ways to meet. Video calls let the therapist and family see each other and work through interactions together. Phone sessions are an option when video is not possible. Live chat and text messaging provide short check-ins, coaching, and follow-up between sessions. These formats make it easier for busy parents and caregivers to access support around work and family routines.

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 kinds of problems does she work with?

She supports people with stress, anxiety, depression, eating and body image issues, trauma and abuse, grief, intimacy and relationship concerns, anger, self-esteem, bipolar challenges, ADHD, and family problems.

What is her general therapy style?

Her style is warm and direct. She listens first, follows the client’s lead, and blends practical skills with emotional processing.

How long has she been practicing?

She has ten years of clinical experience working in residential and outpatient settings.

Where is she licensed and located?

She is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist - CA LMFT 123816 and practices in California.

Which languages are sessions offered in?

Sessions are offered in English and Spanish.

What session formats does she use?

She provides video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging as session formats.

How does payment and cost work?

Cost varies with location and therapist availability; sessions use a subscription 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

Stress, Anxiety
Eating disorders
Depression

Also works with

Therapeutic approaches

Experience: 10 years
Licensed: California
Languages: English, Spanish

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