Melissa Stokes, AASW, AHPRA
25 years in practice
Melissa Stokes offers support for stress, anxiety, trauma and abuse, grief, eating and sleeping difficulties, ADHD, bipolar and depression.
License and registration
- AASW
- 458598 · expires June 2026
- AHPRA
- PSY0002632549 · expires November 2026
- Years in practice
- 25
- Languages
- English
Details are as listed on the therapist's public professional profile. You can check the registration with the body that granted it.
About Melissa
Melissa Stokes offers support for stress, anxiety, trauma and abuse, grief, eating and sleeping difficulties, ADHD, bipolar and depression. She also helps with self-esteem, career questions, parenting strain, coping with change and LGBT-related concerns. Parents reading this will find short sentences and clear aims when they first contact her.
Melissa brings 25 years of clinical experience in Australia. She holds membership with the AASW and is registered with AHPRA. Her background spans community mental health, youth justice, sexual assault services, hospitals and both public and independent practice settings.
Background and approach
Her approach is collaborative and down-to-earth. Sessions focus on practical skills, pacing work to what a person can manage, and linking strategies to everyday life. She draws on cognitive behavioural techniques, acceptance and commitment ideas, attachment perspectives and person-centred ways of working to suit each person’s needs.
Melissa integrates trauma-informed methods when needed and uses psychoeducation and skills training to reduce distress. She works with emotion regulation tools, behavioural experiments and goal-setting so progress is visible and manageable. She also supervises students and other clinicians, sharing her experience to help develop practice skills.
Outside work she enjoys hiking, foraging, music, board games, cooking, yoga and time with her dogs, which inform a practical and grounded style in session.
Focus areas and approaches
Everything Melissa lists on their public professional profile, in their own terms.
- Stress, Anxiety
- LGBT
- Trauma and abuse
- Coping with life changes
- Coaching
- Grief
- Eating disorders
- Sleeping disorders
- Parenting issues
- Self esteem
- Career difficulties
- Bipolar disorder
- Depression
- ADHD
- Abandonment
- Aging and geriatric issues
- Attachment issues
- Blended family issues
- Body image
- Cancer
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Co-morbidity
- Codependency
- Commitment issues
- Communication problems
- Control issues
- Coping with natural or human-caused disaster
- Dependent personality
- Dissociation
- Divorce and separation
- Domestic violence
- Family of origin issues
- Family problems
- First responder issues
- Forgiveness
- Gender dysphoria
- Guilt and shame
- Impulsivity
- Infidelity
- Isolation / loneliness
- Jealousy
- Life purpose
- Midlife crisis
- Veteran and Armed Forces Issues
- Narcissism
- Obsessions, compulsions, and OCD
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Paranoia
- Personality disorders
- Phobias
- Polyamory / non-monogamous relationships
- Postpartum depression
- Post-traumatic stress
- Pregnancy and childbirth
- Prejudice and discrimination
- Process addiction (porn, exercise, gambling)
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Self-harm
- Self-love
- Sexual assault and abuse
- Sexuality
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Somatization
- Trichotillomania
- Women's issues
- Workplace issues
- Young adult issues
Approaches Melissa names
- Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
- Attachment-Based Therapy
- Client-Centered Therapy
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
- Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT)
- Mindfulness Therapy
- Motivational Interviewing
- Narrative Therapy
- Psychodynamic Therapy
- Solution-Focused Therapy
- Somatic Therapy
- Trauma-Focused Therapy
Naming an approach is not evidence of training in it. This directory copies what each therapist lists and does not check training records.
Online support
Online approaches and how they translate to video and chat
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps people notice painful thoughts and feelings without getting stuck in them, then commit to small actions that connect to personal values. It can help with anxiety, depression and life transitions by shifting the focus from fighting feelings to building a meaningful life.Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) breaks problems into thoughts, feelings and behaviours and tests what helps in day-to-day life. It is useful for anxiety, low mood, sleep problems and unhelpful thinking patterns because it emphasises practical exercises and measurable change.
Attachment-Based Therapy looks at how early relationships shape current patterns and ways of connecting with others. It can be helpful for relationship struggles, abandonment concerns and identity issues by exploring emotional needs and improving how someone relates to themselves and others.
Finding the right approach is a team effort. The therapist will talk with you about goals, preferences and what feels manageable, then try methods that fit your situation. That collaborative decision-making means therapy can be adjusted as needs change.
Online formats include video calls, phone sessions, live chat and text-based messaging. Video is good for face-to-face conversation and exercises that use visual cues, while phone sessions suit shorter check-ins or lower bandwidth. Live chat and messaging are useful for brief exchanges, writing through feelings, or when flexible scheduling is needed. These options make it easier to fit therapy around work, school and family commitments.
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Questions people ask
What concerns does Melissa commonly support?
She supports people with stress, anxiety, trauma and abuse, grief, eating and sleeping difficulties, ADHD, bipolar and depression, and related life challenges.
What is her therapeutic style like?
Her style is collaborative and down-to-earth, focusing on practical skills, pacing work to suit the person and linking strategies to everyday life.
How much clinical experience does she have?
Melissa has 25 years of professional experience working in a range of clinical settings including hospitals, community mental health, youth justice and sexual assault services.
What credentials and location are listed?
She is listed with the Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW) and AHPRA, and practises in Australia.
Which languages are sessions offered in?
Sessions are offered in English.
What session formats are available?
Therapy can be delivered by video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging.
How does payment and cost work?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability; sessions use a subscription that can be cancelled at any time.
How do I begin working with Melissa?
Choose the Start Therapy button, complete the short matching questionnaire, and schedule sessions according to the therapist's availability.
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