Melissa Colton, LMHC - Therapist in Florida

About Melissa

Melissa Colton is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor with 27 years of experience. She offers warm, steady support and practical tools to help people facing stress, anxiety, depression, addictions, and other life challenges. Melissa speaks plainly with clients and focuses on building a trusting working relationship first.

Her approach emphasizes helping people notice what already works for them and try small, manageable changes. She uses a mix of approaches that fit each person.

Background and approach

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy helps identify and change unhelpful thinking and behavior patterns. Dialectical Behavior Therapy teaches concrete skills for managing strong emotions and improving relationships. Client-Centered Therapy keeps the conversation grounded in each person’s goals and values.

Melissa has worked in Florida for many years and brings long experience to common issues like grief, parenting struggles, work stress, and identity questions. She aims to help clients find clearer direction, reduce overwhelming feelings, and build everyday coping skills. In sessions she listens, asks straightforward questions, and offers exercises to try between meetings.

Her work also addresses areas such as trauma and abuse, bipolar and other mood disorders, ADHD, social anxiety, and compassion fatigue. She often helps people sort through guilt, shame, and questions about life purpose. The focus is on practical steps that support daily functioning and long-term change.

Melissa encourages collaboration. She helps people set goals, track progress, and adjust methods when needed. The pace is determined by each person’s needs and comfort level.

Therapeutic approaches and how they work online

Client-Centered Therapy focuses on understanding each person without judgment and helping them set their own goals. It’s useful when someone needs a supportive space to find clarity and make choices based on their values.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, looks at the link between thoughts, feelings, and actions. It teaches practical exercises to change unhelpful thinking and behavior, which can reduce anxiety, low mood, and stress in day-to-day life.

Dialectical Behavior Therapy, or DBT, offers concrete skills for managing strong emotions, improving relationships, and reducing reactive behavior. It is helpful for people who need step-by-step tools to cope with intense feelings and improve communication.

Finding the best approach is a collaborative process. The therapist will talk with each person about goals and preferences, try methods that match those goals, and adjust over time. Decisions are made together so the work feels relevant and manageable.

Online therapy offers flexible ways to work: video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging. These options make it easier to fit sessions into busy lives and maintain continuity when schedules or locations change. Therapists use the available formats to share exercises, practice skills, and keep progress moving forward.

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.

Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)

Concrete skills for riding out strong emotion, tolerating distress, and handling relationships without things escalating. The skills are practised in daily life, so between-session support by message or phone fits naturally.

Frequently asked questions

What kinds of concerns does she address?

She works with stress, anxiety, depression, bipolar mood issues, addictions, trauma and abuse, and related concerns such as grief, parenting, and intimacy issues.

What is her therapeutic style like?

Her style is practical and person-focused. She combines Client-Centered listening with skills-based techniques so clients can try concrete tools between sessions.

How much clinical experience does she have?

She has 27 years of experience providing mental health services in a variety of settings.

What credentials and location information are listed?

She is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, FL LMHC MH7533, and practices in Florida.

Which languages and international options are available?

Sessions are offered in English and international clients are not currently accepted.

In what formats are sessions offered?

Sessions can take place via video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging.

How are fees and billing handled?

Cost varies with location and therapist availability; sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.

What steps are involved in getting started?

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

Specialties and expertise

Top specialties

Also works with

Addictions
ADHD
Anger management
Bipolar disorder
Career difficulties
Coaching
Compassion fatigue
Coping with life changes
Depression
Family conflicts
Grief
Guilt and shame
Intimacy-related issues
LGBT
Life purpose
Mood disorders
Parenting issues
Relationship issues
Social anxiety and phobia

Therapeutic approaches

Experience: 27 years
Licensed: Florida
Languages: English

Next step

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