Melissa Thompson, PACFA
14 years in practice
Melissa Thompson is a counsellor credentialed with PACFA who brings 14 years of practice in Australia.
License and registration
- PACFA
- 25997 · expires June 2026
- Years in practice
- 14
- Languages
- English
Details are as listed on the therapist's public professional profile. You can check the registration with the body that granted it.
About Melissa
Melissa Thompson is a counsellor credentialed with PACFA who brings 14 years of practice in Australia. She focuses on helping people manage anxiety, stress and depression, and supports those coping with grief or recovering from trauma and abuse. Melissa aims to create a calm, non-judgemental space where people can speak honestly about what’s hard for them.
She uses plain, practical approaches so conversations stay clear and usable. Melissa draws on Existential ideas to help people look at meaning and choice in their lives.
Background and approach
She also uses Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to build small, manageable steps and new ways of responding to difficult thoughts and feelings. Sessions often focus on current life challenges such as relationship struggles, work and career stress, addiction or sleep problems.
Melissa also works with people dealing with identity concerns, intimacy-related issues and attachment questions that come from abandonment, adoption or foster care histories. Her style is warm and collaborative. She brings structure when people want tools, and a listening ear when people need space to make sense of hurt or loss.
Melissa offers coaching-style support for goal setting alongside therapy for deeper emotional work. People can expect a straightforward conversation about goals in early sessions and a plan that fits their life. Melissa supports clients to try new behaviours between sessions and reviews what works as therapy progresses.
Focus areas and approaches
Everything Melissa lists on their public professional profile, in their own terms.
- Stress, Anxiety
- Trauma and abuse
- Grief
- Self esteem
- Coaching
- Addictions
- LGBT
- Relationship issues
- Family conflicts
- Intimacy-related issues
- Sleeping disorders
- Anger management
- Career difficulties
- Depression
- Coping with life changes
- ADHD
- Abandonment
- Adoption and foster care
- Attachment issues
- Co-morbidity
- Codependency
- Communication problems
- Control issues
- Dependent personality
- Dissociation
- Divorce and separation
- Drug and alcohol addiction
- Emptiness
- Family problems
- First responder issues
- Forgiveness
- Guilt and shame
- Isolation / loneliness
- Life purpose
- Midlife crisis
- Multicultural concerns
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Personality disorders
- Post-traumatic stress
- Self-harm
- Self-love
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Somatization
- Women's issues
- Young adult issues
Approaches Melissa names
- Existential Therapy
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
- Attachment-Based Therapy
- Client-Centered Therapy
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
- Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT)
- Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
- Mindfulness Therapy
- Motivational Interviewing
- Narrative Therapy
- Somatic Therapy
- Trauma-Focused Therapy
- Internal Family Systems
Naming an approach is not evidence of training in it. This directory copies what each therapist lists and does not check training records.
Online support
How Melissa’s approaches work online
Melissa uses existential ideas to help people consider meaning, choice and personal values when life feels confusing or empty. This approach helps when someone is wrestling with identity, purpose or major life changes. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is used to teach practical skills for accepting difficult thoughts and committing to small value-led actions. ACT is useful for anxiety, depression and coping with loss. Attachment-Based Therapy focuses on patterns in relationships and early attachments to help people understand closeness, trust and communication struggles.Choosing the right approach is part of therapy. Melissa works collaboratively to match methods to a person’s goals, needs and preferences. Early sessions often test a few ways of working and then settle on the mix that feels most helpful for the client.
Online sessions are offered by video call, phone, live chat or text-based messaging to make therapy more flexible. Video calls suit deeper conversations when visual contact helps, while phone sessions can fit a break at work or use less bandwidth. Live chat and text messaging are useful for brief check-ins, coaching-style work and maintaining momentum between longer sessions. These options let people fit therapy around family, work and other commitments.
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Questions people ask
What concerns does Melissa help with?
She helps people with stress, anxiety, depression, grief, trauma and addiction issues. Other areas include relationship and intimacy problems, sleep difficulties, career stress and ADHD.
How would you describe her therapeutic style?
Her approach is warm and collaborative, mixing listening with practical exercises. She aims to create a non-judgemental space while offering tools to try between sessions.
How much experience does she have?
Melissa has 14 years of professional experience working in Australia. That time has included work with people facing trauma, loss and long-term stress.
What credential does she hold and where is she based?
She is credentialed with PACFA and practises in Australia.
Which languages are supported and can international clients join?
Sessions are offered in English and Melissa is not currently accepting international clients.
What session formats are available?
She offers video calls, phone sessions, live chat and text-based messaging to suit different needs and schedules.
How are costs handled?
Session cost varies with location and therapist availability and uses a subscription that can be cancelled at any time.
How do I start working with her?
Use the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and then schedule sessions according to the therapist's availability.
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