Melissa Stokes, AASW, AHPRA
Experienced clinician combining somatic and practical therapy
About Melissa
Melissa Stokes provides support for people facing stress, anxiety, trauma, grief, relationship and parenting strains, mood concerns such as depression and bipolar, ADHD, eating or sleeping problems, and career or self-esteem challenges. She is inclusive of all genders and sexual identities and helps LGBT clients navigate their particular concerns.
Melissa draws on 25 years of experience in mental health work across community, hospital and practice settings. She is registered with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) and is a member of the Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW).
Background and approach
Her background includes work in domestic violence services, youth justice, sexual assault response and community mental health for a wide age range. Her approach is practical and person-focused. Sessions aim to help people notice what matters to them, learn skills to manage overwhelming emotion, and practise new ways of coping.
She mixes somatic awareness with cognitive and behavioural tools to make changes that fit daily life. Melissa uses therapies such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, attachment-based and client-centred ways of working, and cognitive behavioural techniques. She adapts methods to each person rather than following a single formula.
Supervision and mentoring of students and other clinicians is part of her practice. Outside work she enjoys hiking, foraging, music, board games, cooking, yoga and time with her dogs. Her practical interest in research has included projects on gendered violence, assessment tools for first responders, and a study of online mindfulness learners.
Therapeutic approaches and online care
Melissa combines somatic-oriented work with Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and attachment-based approaches to help people reconnect with their bodies, values and relationships. Somatic work focuses on noticing bodily sensations and movement to reduce tension and support regulation, which can help with trauma, anxiety and stress. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) emphasises clarifying personal values and taking small committed steps, useful for depression, anxiety and life transitions. Attachment-based therapy looks at patterns formed in relationships and helps people build safer ways of relating and managing emotional triggers.Choosing the right approach is a shared process. Melissa will discuss what feels most useful, try approaches in session, and adjust the plan based on your goals and preferences. This collaborative stance helps tailor work to everyday life rather than using a one-size-fits-all method.
Online therapy offers flexible ways to meet through video calls, phone sessions, live chat or text-based messaging. These formats make it easier to fit sessions around work, school and caring roles, and to continue therapy when travel or distance would otherwise get in the way. Many people find remote sessions helpful for maintaining momentum between in-person meetings and practising new skills in real time.
Frequently asked questions
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Specialties and expertise
Top specialties
Also works with
- Abandonment
- ADHD
- Aging and geriatric issues
- Attachment issues
- Bipolar disorder
- Blended family issues
- Body image
- Cancer
- Career difficulties
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Co-morbidity
- Coaching
- Codependency
- Commitment issues
- Communication problems
- Control issues
- Coping with life changes
- Coping with natural or human-caused disaster
- Dependent personality
- Depression
- Dissociation
- Divorce and separation
- Domestic violence
- Eating disorders
- Family of origin issues
- Family problems
- First responder issues
- Forgiveness
- Gender dysphoria
- Grief
- Guilt and shame
- Impulsivity
- Infidelity
- Isolation / loneliness
- Jealousy
- Life purpose
- Midlife crisis
- Narcissism
- Obsessions, compulsions, and OCD
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Paranoia
- Parenting issues
- Personality disorders
- Phobias
- Polyamory / non-monogamous relationships
- Post-traumatic stress
- Postpartum depression
- Pregnancy and childbirth
- Prejudice and discrimination
- Process addiction (porn, exercise, gambling)
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Self esteem
- Self-harm
- Self-love
- Sexual assault and abuse
- Sexuality
- Sleeping disorders
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Somatization
- Trichotillomania
- Veteran and Armed Forces Issues
- Women's issues
- Workplace issues
- Young adult issues
Therapeutic approaches
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
- Attachment-Based Therapy
- Client-Centered Therapy
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
- Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT)
- Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
- Mindfulness Therapy
- Motivational Interviewing
- Narrative Therapy
- Psychodynamic Therapy
- Solution-Focused Therapy
- Somatic Therapy
- Trauma-Focused Therapy
- Experience
- 25 years
- Licensed
- Languages
- English