Melissa Reyerson-Slifer, LISW, LCSW

Melissa Reyerson-Slifer is a licensed social worker who helps people facing anxiety, stress, depression, and relationship struggles. She uses straightforward care to help clients talk through upsetting thoughts and everyday habits. Her approach is warm and nonjudgmental so people can feel heard and begin making small changes.

Melissa draws on five years of direct therapy experience and additional years in the mental health field. She works with common concerns like trauma and abuse, low self-esteem, grief, anger, and intimacy-related issues. She also supports people managing bipolar symptoms and the stress of big life changes.

Her practice pays attention to specific difficulties such as dissociation, hoarding behaviors, obsessions and compulsions, panic attacks, phobias, and post-traumatic stress. Melissa mixes practical skills with reflective conversation so clients can see what works day to day. She often uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and mindfulness tools to interrupt unhelpful thinking and build steadier routines.

Relationship work is informed by the Gottman Method, focusing on clearer communication and managing conflict. Motivational Interviewing helps when people feel stuck and want to find the motivation for change. Sessions focus on small, usable steps rather than abstract goals.

Melissa practices in California and conducts sessions in English. She encourages people to take the first step by sharing their concerns and goals, then shaping a plan that fits their life.

How Melissa uses approach-focused online therapy

Melissa often combines Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Client-Centered Therapy in sessions. CBT involves identifying patterns of unhelpful thoughts and testing them with practical tasks, which can help with anxiety, panic attacks, phobias, and obsessions. Client-Centered Therapy emphasizes listening and empathy so people can explore feelings and priorities at their own pace.

She also draws on the Gottman Method for relationship concerns, focusing on clearer communication and manageable behavior changes between partners. Melissa treats deciding on the best approach as a collaborative process. She will talk with each person about goals, try techniques together, and adjust methods based on what helps most.

Online therapy can make it easier to fit sessions into a busy life, for example by reducing travel time or allowing shorter check-ins during a break. Because specific session formats are not listed here, confirm current options before booking. The therapist and client then work together to schedule a cadence that supports steady progress.