About Melissa
Melissa Woodby is a licensed marriage and family therapist practicing in Tennessee. She helps people manage stress, anxiety, trauma and abuse, intimacy concerns, and depression.
Background and approach
Her approach is straightforward and supportive for those taking first steps toward change. She creates a calm space where people can talk about difficult feelings without judgment.
Sessions focus on what matters most to the individual and move at a practical pace. Melissa aims to help clients notice patterns and try small, manageable changes between meetings.
With twelve years of experience, Melissa draws on evidence-based therapeutic techniques to guide work on addiction, ADHD, bipolar concerns, and compassion fatigue. She also addresses relationship, family, and parenting challenges and common issues like low self-esteem, anger, and grief after separation.
Melissa pays attention to histories that shape current reactions, such as family of origin issues, abandonment, or past domestic violence. She supports people dealing with obsessive thoughts, panic attacks, dissociation, and difficulties with body image or intimacy.
Practical coaching supports career decisions and coping with life transitions. Melissa works with people from LGBT communities and veterans on identity, isolation, and reintegration concerns.
Her sessions are presented in clear, everyday language and aim to leave clients with concrete steps to try between sessions.
How evidence-based methods translate to online care
Melissa uses evidence-based therapeutic techniques that focus on clear skills and real-life practice. One common approach emphasizes teaching coping skills for anxiety and panic - clients learn short exercises to reduce arousal and reframe anxious thoughts. Another approach targets trauma-related symptoms by helping people track triggers, understand their responses, and build gradual ways to feel more in control of reactions.Finding the right method is a joint process. Melissa works with each person to decide which techniques fit their needs, goals, and comfort level. She explains options in plain language and adjusts plans as progress is made so the work stays useful and relevant.
Online sessions are offered by video call, phone, live chat, or text-based messaging to make therapy more flexible. Video allows face-to-face discussion for deeper emotional work. Phone sessions can be easier when bandwidth is limited or for shorter check-ins. Live chat and text messaging offer ongoing touchpoints between sessions and quick ways to reflect on skills learned in therapy.
Frequently asked questions
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Specialties and expertise
Top specialties
Also works with
- Abandonment
- Addictions
- ADHD
- Anger management
- Bipolar disorder
- Body image
- Career difficulties
- Coaching
- Communication problems
- Compassion fatigue
- Coping with life changes
- Depression
- Dissociation
- Divorce and separation
- Domestic violence
- Family conflicts
- Family of origin issues
- Family problems
- Guilt and shame
- Infidelity
- Isolation / loneliness
- Jealousy
- LGBT
- Obsessions, compulsions, and OCD
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Parenting issues
- Post-traumatic stress
- Relationship issues
- Self esteem
- Self-love
- Sexual assault and abuse
- Veteran and Armed Forces Issues
- Young adult issues
- Experience
- 12 years
- Licensed
- Tennessee
- Languages
- English