Melissa Stokes, AASW, AHPRA
Compassionate support for stress and life changes
Details
| Name | Melissa Stokes |
|---|---|
| Credentials | AASW, AHPRA |
| Based in | Australia |
| Registered with | AASW, AHPRA |
| Session format | Online |
| Languages | English |
| Years in practice | 25 |
About Melissa
Melissa Stokes offers calm, practical support for people facing stress, anxiety, depression and major life changes. She helps with trauma and abuse, grief, sleep and eating concerns, ADHD and bipolar mood management. Melissa is inclusive of all sexual identities and cultures and works with LGBT concerns too.
She has 25 years’ experience and holds AASW and AHPRA credentials. Her approach is collaborative and down-to-earth. Sessions focus on what feels most useful to each person rather than a one-size-fits-all plan.
Background and approach
Melissa draws on Narrative ideas alongside Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Attachment-Based approaches. She also uses client-centred and cognitive behavioural techniques to build practical skills and new ways of telling your story. In sessions she mixes conversation, gentle teaching and simple exercises you can use between meetings.
Her work background includes community mental health, hospitals, youth justice, sexual assault services and independent practice. She has led research and supervised students and other professionals as they learn clinical work. That variety shapes a flexible, experienced style.
Outside work she enjoys hiking, foraging, gardens, music, board games, cooking, yoga and time with her dogs. Her manner is warm and encouraging, suited to people who want a thoughtful, steady way through difficult problems.
What this therapist works with
Her listing names Stress, Anxiety, LGBT, Trauma and abuse among the things Melissa works with, alongside the areas below.
- Stress, Anxiety
- LGBT
- Trauma and abuse
- Coping with life changes
- Coaching
- Grief
- Eating disorders
- Sleeping disorders
- Parenting issues
- Self esteem
- Career difficulties
- Bipolar disorder
- Depression
- ADHD
- Abandonment
- Aging and geriatric issues
- Attachment issues
- Blended family issues
- Body image
- Cancer
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Co-morbidity
- Codependency
- Commitment issues
- Communication problems
- Control issues
- Coping with natural or human-caused disaster
- Dependent personality
- Dissociation
- Divorce and separation
- Domestic violence
- Family of origin issues
- Family problems
- First responder issues
- Forgiveness
- Gender dysphoria
- Guilt and shame
- Impulsivity
- Infidelity
- Isolation / loneliness
- Jealousy
- Life purpose
- Midlife crisis
- Veteran and Armed Forces Issues
- Narcissism
- Obsessions, compulsions, and OCD
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Paranoia
- Personality disorders
- Phobias
- Polyamory / non-monogamous relationships
- Postpartum depression
- Post-traumatic stress
- Pregnancy and childbirth
- Prejudice and discrimination
- Process addiction (porn, exercise, gambling)
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Self-harm
- Self-love
- Sexual assault and abuse
- Sexuality
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Somatization
- Trichotillomania
- Women's issues
- Workplace issues
- Young adult issues
Approaches listed
- Narrative Therapy: Named in her listing among her approaches.
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT): Listed by Melissa among the ways she works.
- Attachment-Based Therapy: Listed by Melissa among the ways she works.
- Client-Centered Therapy: Listed by Melissa among the ways she works.
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): Listed by Melissa among the ways she works.
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT): Listed by Melissa among the ways she works.
- Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT): Listed by Melissa among the ways she works.
- Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR): Listed by Melissa among the ways she works.
- Mindfulness Therapy: Listed by Melissa among the ways she works.
- Motivational Interviewing: Listed by Melissa among the ways she works.
- Psychodynamic Therapy: Listed by Melissa among the ways she works.
- Solution-Focused Therapy: Listed by Melissa among the ways she works.
- Somatic Therapy: Listed by Melissa among the ways she works.
- Trauma-Focused Therapy: Listed by Melissa among the ways she works.
- Training stated: This directory copies the approaches a therapist names and does not check training records. Ask Melissa directly how much of the work is narrative and what a session usually looks like.
Narrative Therapy in this listing
Narrative Therapy appears in this therapist's own list of approaches. That tells you it is part of how she works. It does not tell you how much of a session it shapes, and this directory does not check or rate training.
If a narrative approach is what you are looking for, it is worth asking Melissa directly how she uses it and what a session usually looks like.
Online session options
Therapy approaches and how online sessions work
Melissa often uses Narrative Therapy to help people reframe troubling stories about themselves and their lives; this approach focuses on separating the person from the problem and finding alternate, more helpful storylines. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is another key approach she uses, which emphasises values-based action and practical skills for living with difficult thoughts and feelings. Attachment-Based Therapy appears in her work to identify relationship patterns and improve emotional connection and regulation.Choosing which approach to use is a collaborative process. The therapist will talk with you about your goals, what has helped before and what you prefer. Together you’ll try ideas and adjust the plan as needed rather than committing to one fixed method up front.
Online sessions are offered as video calls, phone sessions, live chat or text-based messaging to give flexible options. Video is useful when visual cues and a fuller conversation help, phone sessions suit people who need a shorter check-in or have limited bandwidth, and chat or messaging works well for brief updates or when typing feels easier. These formats help fit therapy into busy schedules, make it easier to attend from different locations and allow a consistent approach across sessions.
Common questions about this listing
What kinds of concerns does Melissa help with?
She supports people with stress, anxiety, depression and bipolar disorder, as well as trauma, grief, ADHD, sleeping and eating concerns and career or parenting stress.
How would you describe her therapeutic style?
Her style is collaborative, warm and practical. She blends narrative approaches with ACT, attachment and client-centred methods to suit each person.
How much clinical experience does she have?
Melissa has 25 years of professional experience across public and personal settings, including hospitals, community mental health and sexual assault services.
What credentials and location are listed?
She holds AASW and AHPRA credentials and practises from Australia.
Which languages and international options are available?
Sessions are offered in English and international clients are not currently accepted.
What session formats are offered online?
Therapy can be delivered by video calls, phone sessions, live chat or text-based messaging to suit different preferences.
How are costs handled?
Cost varies with location and therapist arrangements; sessions use a subscription model that can be cancelled at any time.
How do I begin working with Melissa?
Use the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire and then schedule sessions according to therapist availability.
Contacting this therapist
Sessions with Melissa are arranged through our partner platform. It asks a few questions about what you are looking for, then shows you the therapists available to you, including Melissa where she has space. Ask about fees, and whether she holds a licence or registration where you live.
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