Melissa Button, LMHC

Melissa Button is a licensed mental health counselor (LMHC) based in New York who helps people facing stress, anxiety, addiction, low self-esteem, depression, and compassion fatigue. She works to make the first step feel less overwhelming and to build practical skills for day-to-day life.

She begins by getting to know each person and forming a trusting working relationship. That helps her and the client figure out what matters most and what small changes could make a difference. Sessions focus on clear goals and concrete tools rather than vague theory.

Melissa uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) alongside client-centered techniques to identify unhelpful thoughts and try new behaviors. She also draws on Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) skills, mindfulness, motivational interviewing, and psychodynamic ideas when they fit the goal. The approach is flexible and aimed at improving coping, mood, and motivation.

Her experience includes helping people manage caregiver stress, chronic pain and illness, codependency, workplace stress, social anxiety, substance use concerns, and feelings of isolation or guilt. She pays attention to how life circumstances affect mood and choices and works from there.

Sessions are framed around collaboration. Melissa treats the person as the expert on their life and offers tools to test in real situations. The emphasis is on simple, manageable steps so progress feels tangible and sustainable.

How Melissa Translates Therapy to Online Sessions

Melissa commonly uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) to help people identify unhelpful thought patterns and try practical behavior changes that reduce anxiety and improve mood. She also uses Client-Centered Therapy to create a respectful, nonjudgmental space where the person leads the priorities and the therapist listens and reflects.

These approaches are mixed with DBT skills and motivational interviewing when useful, and Melissa treats choosing an approach as a shared decision. She works together with each person to figure out what methods fit their goals, learning style, and what they want to change first.

Online formats include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging. Video is good for deeper conversations and skill practice, phone can be easier when bandwidth is limited, live chat works for shorter check-ins, and messaging supports brief progress updates and reminders. The range of options helps people fit sessions into busy schedules and maintain continuity when life gets unpredictable.