About Melissa
Melissa Perez-Halley is a licensed clinical social worker in Texas who helps people manage stress, anxiety, low mood, relationship strain, trauma and low self-esteem. She speaks plainly and treats each person with respect and compassion. Melissa aims to match the approach to the person, not force a one-size-fits-all model.
Her style is practical and grounded. Sessions focus on what is happening in daily life and on small, doable steps that can reduce distress.
Background and approach
She uses talk alongside body-focused awareness to help people notice how emotions show up physically and then shift those patterns. Melissa draws on Client-Centered methods to create a safe space for honest conversation. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is used when thoughts and habits need reshaping, and Emotionally-Focused Therapy helps people name and work through relationship pain.
Mindfulness practices are offered to steady attention and reduce reactivity. She has five years of clinical practice in varied settings and brings that experience to each session. Her Texas license is LCSW 68044 and she conducts work in English.
Melissa adapts plans to the person’s pace and preferences rather than pushing a fixed agenda. If someone needs help with issues like abandonment, attachment struggles, body image, chronic illness, caregiver stress, or addiction-related concerns, she includes those areas in treatment conversations. Her approach is collaborative and focused on concrete shifts that matter in daily life.
How Melissa blends approaches online
Melissa integrates somatic awareness with client-centered listening to help people notice how feelings show up in the body and find ways to respond differently. Somatic work involves simple body-based practices and attention to physical sensations to reduce stress and shift emotional reactions, which can help with anxiety, trauma-related symptoms, and chronic stress.She also uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to identify unhelpful thought patterns and to practice clearer, more adaptive habits. CBT offers concrete steps for changing reactions and improving mood, which pairs well with somatic noticing when emotions feel overwhelming.
Finding the right mix of methods is a shared process. The therapist will discuss goals and preferences, try approaches together, and adjust the plan based on what helps most. This keeps therapy collaborative and focused on practical change.
Online formats include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging. These options offer flexibility when schedules are tight, allow follow-up between sessions, and make it easier to maintain continuity of care across locations. Licensed professionals can use these formats to provide consistent, ongoing support tailored to each person’s needs.
Frequently asked questions
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Specialties and expertise
Top specialties
- Stress, Anxiety
- Relationship issues
- Trauma and abuse
Also works with
- Abandonment
- Antisocial personality
- Attachment issues
- BDSM, kink, and alternative sex culture
- Blended family issues
- Body image
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Chronic pain, illness, and disability
- Communication problems
- Control issues
- Depression
- Divorce and separation
- Domestic violence
- Drug and alcohol addiction
- Family of origin issues
- Family problems
- Fertility issues
- Forgiveness
- Guilt and shame
- Hoarding
- Hospice and end-of-life counseling
- Immigration issues
- Impulsivity
- Infidelity
- Intellectual disability
- Isolation / loneliness
- Life purpose
- Midlife crisis
- Mood disorders
- Multicultural concerns
- Paranoia
- Personality disorders
- Postpartum depression
- Pregnancy and childbirth
- Prejudice and discrimination
- Process addiction (porn, exercise, gambling)
- Self esteem
- Self-love
- Sex addiction
- Sexual assault and abuse
- Sexual dysfunction
- Sexuality
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Somatization
- Trichotillomania
- Women's issues
- Workplace issues
- Young adult issues
Therapeutic approaches
- Experience
- 5 years
- Licensed
- Texas
- Languages
- English