Melissa Maaske, LICSW

Melissa Maaske is a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker (LICSW) practicing in Minnesota with 10 years of experience. She focuses on common, everyday struggles like anxiety, stress, low self-esteem, and relationship concerns. Her approach is straightforward and respectful, and she aims to make the first step feel manageable for people who are worried or unsure.

She uses practical, evidence-based approaches such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to help identify unhelpful thoughts and try new behaviors. Melissa also draws on Dialectical Behavior Therapy skills for emotion regulation and Motivational Interviewing when people need help finding reasons to change. These methods are applied in ways that fit each person’s situation.

Sessions are conversational and goal-oriented. Melissa helps people talk through what's happening now, try small experiments between sessions, and build skills that reduce overwhelm over time. She pays attention to past experiences that shape current patterns, and she brings that into treatment when it helps.

Melissa works with a wide range of concerns including trauma and abuse, grief, addiction-related problems, body image and eating issues, caregiving strain, attachment and abandonment wounds, and challenges tied to work and life transitions. She also supports people facing communication problems, codependency, and intimacy-related issues.

Therapy is offered in English and delivered online through video, phone, live chat, or text-based messaging. Getting started is done by completing a short matching questionnaire and scheduling a session according to therapist availability.

How Melissa’s Approaches Translate to Online Care

Melissa commonly uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to help people spot and change unhelpful thinking and behavior patterns; CBT is useful for anxiety, depression, and stress-related problems. She also uses Dialectical Behavior Therapy skills to teach emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and improved interpersonal effectiveness when strong emotions or relationship difficulties get in the way. Motivational Interviewing is used when someone wants help finding their own reasons to change and building readiness for new habits.

Finding the right mix of approaches is part of the work. Melissa collaborates with each person to choose methods that match their goals, values, and how they prefer to learn. She will check in and adjust the plan as progress unfolds so the work remains relevant and practical.

Online formats include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging to fit varied schedules. Video lets people work face-to-face without travel. Phone or chat can be lower bandwidth and easier to fit into a busy day. Text messaging supports brief check-ins, skill reminders, or ongoing coaching between longer sessions. These options make it simpler to keep consistent momentum and apply skills in everyday life.