PuttingFamilyFirst

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MU Portrait of Melissa Upton
Online therapist

Melissa Upton

Supportive counseling for family and parenting concerns

Credentials
LPC
Experience
14 years
Licensed in
Mississippi
Languages
English
Format
Online sessions

About Melissa

Melissa Upton is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in Mississippi with 14 years of counseling experience. She focuses on family and parenting concerns alongside stress, anxiety, depression, relationship and parenting issues. Melissa aims to make the first steps toward change feel manageable for busy parents and adults juggling multiple responsibilities.

Her sessions are warm and straightforward. She listens closely and helps clients identify practical steps they can try between meetings.

Background and approach

Melissa draws on tools that help people manage anger, improve communication, and cope with life changes such as divorce or blended family transitions. Her background includes long experience in school counseling and public education in Mississippi. That history shaped her work with adolescents on matters like ADHD, anxiety, and academic or career planning.

She now offers more one-on-one counseling to serve a wider range of ages and concerns. Melissa uses a client-centered stance that keeps the person's needs at the center of the work. She also uses solution-focused techniques to set short-term goals and track progress.

In career conversations she may incorporate John Holland's RIASEC model to clarify interests and next steps. Sessions aim to be a supportive place to talk through hard feelings, learn coping skills, and try small changes that add up. Melissa works to create a respectful space where clients can explore life purpose, handle family problems, and rebuild confidence.

How Melissa’s Approaches Work Online

Client-Centered Therapy focuses on listening and following the client’s lead. The therapist creates space for a person to share what matters most and helps them make their own choices. This approach is useful for concerns like self-esteem, relationship struggles, and parenting questions.

Solution-Focused Therapy concentrates on small, practical changes. Sessions identify concrete goals and the next realistic steps to reach them. It works well for managing stress, improving communication, and handling specific problems like anger or coping with life changes.

Finding the right approach is a team effort. Melissa will discuss options and tailor methods to the client’s goals, needs, and preferences. The plan can shift over time as progress is made and new priorities emerge.

Online sessions use video calls, phone, live chat, or text-based messaging to fit different schedules. These formats make it easier to meet from home, during breaks, or between other commitments. They also allow follow-up and brief check-ins that keep momentum between full sessions.

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.

Solution-Focused Therapy

Rather than examining the problem at length, this looks at what is already working and builds on it. Sessions tend to be practical and forward-looking, with small achievable steps, which translates readily to shorter online conversations.

Frequently asked questions

What concerns does Melissa help with?
She focuses on stress, anxiety, depression, relationship issues, parenting, trauma and related concerns such as ADHD and communication problems.
How would she describe her therapeutic style?
Her style is client-centered, meaning sessions follow the person's needs, and she uses solution-focused methods to set clear, short-term goals.
What is her professional background?
Melissa has 14 years of counseling experience and many years working in Mississippi public schools, primarily with adolescents on academic and emotional concerns.
What credentials and location are listed?
She holds the LPC credential with licensure detail MS LPC 1196 and practices in Mississippi.
Which languages are supported and are international sessions offered?
Sessions are offered in English and international clients are not currently accepted.
What session formats does she provide?
Sessions can be conducted via video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging.
How does payment and cost work?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability and uses a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.
What are the first steps to begin therapy?
Start by selecting the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule sessions based on the therapist's availability.

Next step

Talk to Melissa

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