Melissa Averett , LPC

Melissa Averett is a Licensed Professional Counselor with 14 years of experience helping people navigate hard life moments. She practices in Louisiana and focuses on practical steps people can use right away. Melissa speaks plainly in sessions and aims to build trust from the first meeting.

She earned a master’s degree in education counseling and has worked in both residential and outpatient settings. Melissa spent four years supporting women in addiction recovery and nine years providing outpatient counseling for adults. That mix of settings shaped her approach to both crisis work and longer-term care.

Melissa uses Client-Centered Therapy to create a respectful, nonjudgmental space where people can name their concerns and set goals. She pairs that with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to help clients spot unhelpful thinking, test those beliefs, and try alternatives. In-session work often includes practicing communication, setting boundaries, and building coping skills.

Common concerns she addresses include stress, anxiety, depression, grief, trauma and abuse, sleep problems, parenting strain, and issues around self-esteem and body image. She also supports people dealing with addiction, anger, ADHD, bipolar mood concerns, and relationship or family-of-origin issues.

Melissa teaches practical strategies like assertive communication, healthy boundaries, and coping plans. She aims to be warm and empathic while helping people make concrete changes that fit their lives.

How Melissa’s Approaches Work Online

Client-Centered Therapy focuses on creating an empathic, respectful space where the person’s priorities guide the work. Online sessions use that approach to help clients name what matters most and set realistic goals. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) helps people identify upsetting thoughts, test them, and try more balanced thinking. Delivered remotely, CBT often includes online worksheets, thought records, and practice between sessions to build new habits.

Choosing the best approach is a collaborative process. The therapist will talk with each person about their goals, preferences, and day-to-day life, then recommend methods to try. Plans can be adjusted as progress is made so the work fits the client rather than forcing a single model.

Online therapy offers practical flexibility. Video calls let people work face-to-face without traveling. Phone sessions can be easier when bandwidth is limited or when someone prefers not to be on camera. Live chat and text messaging allow shorter check-ins, timely support between sessions, and options for people with unpredictable schedules. These formats make it simpler to keep therapy consistent while using the techniques of Client-Centered Therapy and CBT.