Melissa Hurt, LICSW

Melissa Hurt is a licensed independent clinical social worker (LICSW) based in Minnesota. She brings a social work background and three years of clinical experience to sessions. Melissa aims to help people find more peace, stability, and meaning in daily life. She describes her style as compassionate, honest, and strengths focused.

Melissa trained in social work with attention to large-scale systems and how they shape individual lives. That perspective shows up in conversation about culture, family history, and the practical barriers people face. She has spent many years working in disability services supporting teams of social workers and staying connected to everyday challenges.

She also has experience supporting young professionals and people connected to the military community, informed by personal experience as a long-term military spouse. Melissa is familiar with the stresses that come with long-term partnerships and raising children, and she often discusses practical strategies for relationships and family routines.

Her clinical approach blends Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, and Emotionally-Focused Therapy, with mindfulness and motivational interviewing woven in. In session she uses concrete tools - thought tracking, values work, and communication practice - and helps people test what feels useful.

People who tend to do best with Melissa are those looking for down-to-earth guidance and practical steps. She frames struggles as chances to learn and supports clients through grief, anxiety, trauma, addiction concerns, parenting strain, and life transitions. She invites clients to try things between sessions and notice what changes.

How Melissa’s approaches fit into online therapy

Melissa often uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to help people identify unhelpful thought patterns and test small behavior changes. CBT is practical and task oriented, which can help with anxiety, mood, and day-to-day coping skills.

She also draws on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy to clarify personal values and build actions that align with those values. ACT supports people who are tired of fighting their inner experiences and want to move toward a life that matters to them. Emotionally-Focused Therapy is another part of her toolkit for improving communication and emotional connection in relationships.

Finding the right approach is a team effort. Melissa will talk with each person about goals, preferences, and what has or hasn’t worked before. Together they decide whether CBT, ACT, EFT, mindfulness, or motivational interviewing fits best and adjust the plan as progress is made.

Online formats include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging, which allow for flexible scheduling and different ways to connect. Video calls are useful for longer therapy work and visual cues, phone sessions can fit into a short break, chat can support quick check-ins, and messaging helps people track thoughts between sessions. These options make it easier to keep therapy consistent around work, family, and daily life.