Hello! I’ve had 35 years of experience working in the field of social work in both clinical and non-clinical settings as a therapist, as well as in the field of hospice for many years. I graduated with my MSW from Rutgers University, have a Certificate in Gerontology, and my clinical expertise in Gerontology has been enhanced by working with families, in the fields of addictions, griefwork, life transition issues, sports psychology, Chronic mental illness, and family and individual therapy with people of all ages 18 years and older. I also hold certifications in Reiki 1 and Animal Reiki, am an Ironman Finisher and avid marathon swimmer which means I know about goals and how to not only reach them myself, but to help others reach theirs as well!
What can clients expect to take away from sessions with you?
In our first session I'd like to get to know you a little bit better. I'll be asking inquisitive questions, perhaps asking you to elaborate a bit on your family life growing up, your career, what your life looks like outside of work, how you've coped with difficulties in the past, and your social life. I'll be very interested in knowing what brings you to counseling and then we can discuss the problem at hand. Through doing this, I typically receive positive feedback that after even the first session, clients leave with a sense of hope, clarity and relief.
Explain to clients what areas you feel are your biggest strengths.
My greatest strength as a therapist is meeting you wherever you are at, with compassion and empathy. I have no expectations of where anyone should be at any point in their life so I never hold any judgements. I'm very interested in YOU, validating your experience, and getting to discuss what might be done to help with whatever it is that brings you here.
About Melisa P. Sheldon
Specializes in
Serves ages
Licensed in
Accepts
Address
759 Southwest Federal Highway Suite 201B, Stuart, FL, USA, Suite 201 BAppointments
Virtual & in-personMy treatment methods
Cognitive Behavioral (CBT)
In my experience using CBT, I have been successful in helping people recognize distortions in their thinking that are creating problems, and then to reevaluate them in light of reality. In this way, we all tend to gain a better understanding of the behavior and motivation of others as well. I have found this works very well with anxiety and depressive disorders as well as relationship issues. My clients overall have expressed that they experience an improved quality of life once they learn how to engage in these and similar processes.
Internal Family Systems (IFS)
In IFS therapy, the idea is that every person has multiple sub-personalities which can be in conflict with each other. This can lead to maladaptive habits and behaviors. The goal of IFS therapy is to help people identify and accept the different parts of themselves and heal the parts that are wounded. I have found it works very well in trauma-based therapy and with addictions