Melissa Ford, LPC

Melissa Ford is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) based in South Carolina with three years of clinical experience. She focuses on helping people manage stress, anxiety, depression, and the effects of trauma and abuse. Melissa talks with clients about grief, motivation, self-esteem, and goals in plain language. She works to make the first steps toward change feel achievable.

Her sessions are tailored to each person’s situation and needs. She uses approaches like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) to help people notice and change unhelpful thoughts and behaviors. She also draws on Solution-Focused Therapy to set short-term goals and identify practical steps forward.

Melissa emphasizes respect, sensitivity, and compassion in every conversation. She aims to empower people rather than tell them what to do. In sessions she listens, asks questions, and helps clients try small changes that can add up over time.

Practical concerns such as caregiver stress, communication problems, guilt and shame, and life purpose are part of her focus. She also supports people dealing with addictions, relationship issues, and women’s issues. Work is paced to the person’s comfort and readiness.

People who choose her can expect clear goals, straightforward tools, and collaborative planning. Melissa helps people build confidence and coping skills they can use between sessions. She encourages honest conversation and steady progress.

How CBT and Solution-Focused Work Online

Melissa uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to help people identify unhelpful thoughts and test different ways of thinking and behaving. CBT offers short, practical exercises that fit well into video or phone sessions and can be practiced between meetings.

She also uses Solution-Focused Therapy to set small, achievable goals and find steps that move a person toward what matters. This approach keeps sessions forward-looking and action-oriented, which many people find motivating when working remotely.

Choosing the right approach is a team effort. Melissa will talk with the client about symptoms, goals, and preferences and then try methods that suit the situation. If something isn’t helping, she will work with the client to adjust the plan so it fits better.

Online therapy with video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging offers flexibility for different days and needs. Video calls allow face-to-face conversation, phone sessions can be a good option when bandwidth is limited, quick live chats are useful for short check-ins, and text messaging supports ongoing reflection between longer sessions. These options make it easier to schedule therapy around work, caregiving, or other commitments.