- Client-centered focus
- Solution-focused techniques
- Career planning tools
About Melissa
Melissa Upton is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) practicing in Mississippi with 14 years of experience. She has a background in school counseling and has spent many years working in the public school system. Melissa lists stress, anxiety, relationships, anger, self-esteem, depression, trauma and abuse, intimacy-related issues, parenting, career concerns, ADHD, and guilt and shame among the concerns she supports.
Her approach is straightforward and conversational. She uses client-centered methods and also draws on solution-focused ideas to help people set goals and try small, practical steps. In sessions she listens to what matters most and works with clients to identify which changes to try first.
Melissa has experience helping people with communication problems, blended family issues, divorce and separation, and control-related concerns. She also works with people struggling with forgiveness, fatherhood issues, money worries, social anxiety, and self-harm thoughts. In school settings she helped adolescents with anger management, depression, coping skills, ADHD, and career planning.
Her career includes work in Mississippi public schools and years of one-on-one support in educational settings. That background informs how she talks about goals, routines, and practical strategies. Sessions tend to focus on realistic steps for daily life and on improving how people relate to themselves and others.
To begin, Melissa asks people to identify a clear goal and then tries short-term steps that can be reviewed and adjusted. She uses simple tools from client-centered and solution-focused work to track progress and to break larger problems into manageable actions. The emphasis is on practical change rather than long explanations.
How her approaches translate to online work
Melissa uses client-centered therapy, which means sessions focus on what matters to the client. This approach involves listening, reflecting, and following the client’s lead to identify goals and immediate concerns. It can help when guilt or shame feels personal and hard to talk about.She also uses solution-focused therapy. That approach concentrates on short-term, practical steps you can try between sessions. It helps with concrete problems like communication issues, parenting decisions, career questions, and managing anxiety or anger with small experiments and goal-setting.
Finding the right mix of approaches is part of the work. Melissa will help figure out which methods fit the client’s needs, goals, and preferences. That is a collaborative process where the plan can change as progress is reviewed.
The original biography does not list specific online session formats, so confirm current session options before booking. In general, online sessions can make it easier to fit counseling into a busy day, allow shorter check-ins when time is limited, and reduce travel time. Talk with the therapist about what scheduling pattern and session length would best fit everyday life.
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
14+ years
Listed in
Mississippi
Languages
English
Frequently asked questions
What kinds of concerns does she help with?
She supports people with stress, anxiety, relationship and anger issues, plus self-esteem, depression, trauma, and guilt and shame.
How does she approach guilt or shame?
She uses a client-centered style and solution-focused steps to identify specific actions clients can try and then reviews progress together.
What is her professional background?
She has 14 years of counseling experience and many years working in Mississippi public schools with adolescents on behavior and academic concerns.
What credentials does she hold and where is she based?
She is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) based in Mississippi.
Does she work in languages other than English?
Sessions are offered in English.
Can people outside the US see her?
International clients are not currently accepted.
How much do sessions cost?
Cost varies with location and sessions use a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.
How do I begin a first session?
Select the See online therapy options button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule your first session.
Online talk therapy is not emergency care. If you are in danger or thinking about harming yourself, use the crisis numbers.