Melissa Stokes, AASW, AHPRA

Melissa Stokes brings 25 years of clinical experience to her work supporting people through mental health and life challenges. She works from Psychological Therapy Services in Payneham, Adelaide and with clients online, offering a collaborative, compassionate approach that blends evidence-based therapies with person-centred care.

Her practice draws on a broad clinical background including work in domestic violence, child, adolescent and adult community mental health, youth justice, sexual assault response and hospital settings, as well as public and private practice. This varied experience informs an integrative approach that combines cognitive-behavioural techniques, trauma-informed perspectives, attachment work and strengths-based, person-centred methods to tailor treatment to each person’s needs.

Melissa uses a range of therapeutic tools and skills training to reduce distress and build wellbeing, and she supports clients facing stress, anxiety, trauma and abuse, grief, eating and sleeping concerns, relationship and parenting difficulties, mood disorders including depression and bipolar, ADHD and many other challenges. She is inclusive of all genders, cultures and sexual identities and aims to create a respectful space where people feel heard and validated.

Melissa holds AASW and AHPRA credentials, reflecting her professional standing in Australia, and she is committed to ongoing professional development, supervision of students and colleagues, and contributing to research. Outside work she enjoys hiking, foraging, music, board games, cooking, yoga, comedy, her dogs and spending time in nature.

Therapeutic approaches and flexible online care

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps people clarify what matters to them and develop practical steps to live in line with those values while accepting difficult thoughts and feelings - it is useful for anxiety, stress and life transitions. Attachment-Based Therapy explores patterns in relationships that arise from early connections and aims to rebuild secure ways of relating, which can help with relationship difficulties, abandonment concerns and attachment issues. Client-Centred Therapy focuses on the person’s own strengths and pace, offering empathic listening and collaboration to support self-exploration and personal growth, which suits people seeking a supportive, non-directive environment.

Choosing the right approach is part of the therapy process. Melissa works collaboratively with clients to figure out which methods fit their needs, goals and preferences, and she adapts the plan as therapy progresses so the approach remains practical and relevant.

Online therapy with Melissa is offered by video calls, phone sessions, live chat or text-based messaging, making it easier to access care around work, family and mobility needs. These options provide flexibility in scheduling and ways of communicating, allowing people to engage in therapy in the format that suits them best while working with appropriately qualified or registered professionals.