Melanie Sharp , LMSW

Melanie Sharp is a Licensed Master Social Worker (LMSW) with 21 years of experience. She helps people who are overwhelmed by anxiety, stress, depression, relationship strain, addiction, and parenting challenges. She also supports folks facing grief, trauma, intimacy questions, career shifts, and concerns related to LGBT identity and ADHD.

Her sessions are warm and conversational. She listens first, then works with each person to set clear goals and practical steps. Melanie favors short, doable strategies people can try between sessions and checks in about what helps.

Melanie draws on client-centered methods that keep the person’s goals at the center of care. She also uses cognitive behavioral ideas to identify thinking patterns and mindfulness techniques to reduce reactivity. Motivational interviewing helps when someone needs extra support to change habits.

Across twenty-one years in Michigan, Melanie has helped people through life transitions, caregiving stress, aging concerns, adoption and foster care issues, and substance-related problems. She takes a nonjudgmental approach and avoids labels that feel stigmatizing.

Sessions are practical and focused on building skills that fit everyday life. People leave with concrete steps they can try and a plan for moving toward what matters to them. Melanie aims to be an advocate and partner as clients work toward clearer priorities and steadier coping.

If someone wants a straightforward, compassionate guide for change, Melanie blends empathy with goal-oriented work to support progress.

How Melanie's Approaches Fit Online Therapy

Client-centered therapy places the person’s goals and preferences at the center of each session. The therapist listens without judgment and helps shape a plan that matches what the client wants to work on, which can be especially useful for issues like relationship strain, self-esteem, and life purpose.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, focuses on identifying unhelpful thoughts and testing them with practical experiments. It is often used for anxiety, depression, insomnia, and stress by teaching skills people can practice between sessions.

Finding the right approach is a shared process. Melanie will collaborate with each person to decide which methods to try first and will adjust over time based on what is working and what the person prefers. The plan can blend short-term skill building with deeper reflection when needed.

Online therapy with video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging offers flexibility for different schedules and needs. Video sessions allow face-to-face conversation and visual cues. Phone calls can be a simpler option when bandwidth is limited. Live chat or text works well for brief check-ins, journaling support, or on-the-go reflections between longer sessions.