Melissa Onappeau , LCSW

Melissa Onappeau is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) based in Florida who helps people manage stress, anxiety, low self-esteem, career concerns, and life changes. She brings a calm, warm presence to conversations and focuses on practical next steps. Her approach is people-centered and down-to-earth.

Before private practice work, Melissa spent three years working in community and nonprofit settings. That time included supporting adolescents and adults facing anxiety, stress, and transitions, and people who have experienced being unhoused. Those roles shaped her focus on realistic problem solving and practical support.

In sessions she uses a strength-based, client-led style. She listens first, then helps set small, achievable goals. The process is collaborative and paced to each person’s needs.

Melissa often works with concerns related to caregiver stress, forgiveness, finding life purpose, multicultural issues, self-love, social anxiety and phobia, workplace stress, and women’s issues. She aims to make things feel manageable rather than overwhelming.

Therapy with her usually includes interactive conversation and simple tools to try between meetings. Progress is tracked by small changes in daily routines and clearer choices at work, home, or school.

Approaches and online care that fit your life

Melissa uses evidence-based therapeutic techniques tailored to each person's needs. One common approach is a strength-based method that focuses on identifying personal strengths and using them to solve current problems; this can help with stress, self-esteem, and finding direction. Another frequent element is client-led goal setting, which breaks larger concerns into small, practical steps a person can try between meetings; this is useful for career decisions, life transitions, and workplace stress.

Choosing the right approach is part of the work together. The therapist will listen to your goals and preferences and adjust methods as you go. That collaborative process makes it easier to try tools that fit your life and to change course when something is not helping.

Online therapy offers a range of ways to connect including video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging. Video calls allow face-to-face conversation and visual cues, phone sessions can be easier when bandwidth is limited, live chat is good for quick check-ins, and text messaging supports brief reflections or ongoing support between sessions. These options make scheduling more flexible and can help fit therapy into work, caregiving, or school routines.