Melissa Perez-Halley , LCSW

Melissa Perez-Halley is a licensed clinical social worker who helps people manage stress, anxiety, relationship struggles, trauma and abuse, low self-esteem, and depression. She greets new clients with respect and sensitivity and aims to make the first step feel manageable. Melissa works with each person on clear, practical goals that fit their life. Melissa uses a mix of approaches to match what someone needs. She draws on client-centered methods to keep conversations focused on the person's priorities. She uses cognitive behavioral techniques to identify unhelpful thinking and try new behaviors. Emotionally-focused ideas support deeper work on attachment and relationships. She also brings mindfulness strategies to help calm the body and increase moment-to-moment awareness. Motivational interviewing helps people find their own reasons to change and stick with goals. Melissa adapts these approaches depending on the problem and the pace a person prefers. Over five years of practice she has worked with concerns such as abandonment, attachment issues, body image, blended family stress, divorce and separation, domestic violence, substance concerns, chronic illness and pain, and caregiver strain. She helps people talk through communication problems, control issues, and family of origin matters. Melissa is based in Texas and sees clients in English. She encourages clear, direct conversations about goals and progress. New clients are invited to start with a short matching questionnaire and then schedule sessions that fit their needs.

Therapeutic approaches and how they work online

Client-centered therapy focuses on the person's experience and priorities. In practice this means sessions are led by what matters to the individual, and the therapist reflects understanding and supports personal goals. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, looks at how thoughts, feelings, and actions interact. It uses clear steps and homework to try new behaviors and reduce symptoms like anxiety or low mood.

Finding the right approach is part of the work together. Melissa will collaborate with each person to choose methods that match their goals, needs, and pace. That may mean mixing client-centered listening with CBT techniques or adding mindfulness and motivational interviewing when useful.

Online formats make it easier to fit therapy into a busy life. Video calls allow face-to-face conversation when that helps connection. Phone sessions can be useful when bandwidth or camera use is limited. Live chat and text-based messaging work for brief check-ins, written reflection, or times when typing feels easier than speaking. These options provide flexibility while keeping the focus on practical progress and ongoing collaboration.