Melissa Fernald, LCSW
Licensed in Maine · 25 years in practice
Melissa Fernald is a licensed clinical social worker with 25 years of experience in mental health and addiction work.
License and registration
- LCSW, Maine
- LC18215 · expires July 2027
- LCSW, New Hampshire
- 5092 · expires September 2026
- NPI
- 1598070591 · national provider identifier
- Years in practice
- 25
- Languages
- English
Details are as listed on the therapist's public professional profile. You can check any license with the state board and any NPI with the national registry.
About Melissa
Melissa Fernald is a licensed clinical social worker with 25 years of experience in mental health and addiction work. She has worked in hospitals, community programs, and independent practice. Melissa aims to make therapy straightforward and useful for people under stress.
She keeps sessions down-to-earth and focuses on practical steps clients can use right away. Her style is calm and nonjudgmental. She uses a strength-based, solution-focused approach to help people build on what already works.
Background and approach
Melissa values honesty, a little humor, and authenticity in the room. Sessions often concentrate on clear goals and skills people can practice between meetings. Melissa helps people work through anxiety, depression, trauma and abuse, addiction, and stress from caregiving or work.
She also supports those facing relationship and intimacy issues, parenting strain, eating concerns, and career questions. Other areas she addresses include ADHD, bipolar mood challenges, and coping with major life changes. She combines several practical approaches such as cognitive behavioral strategies, acceptance and commitment ideas, and attachment-informed work.
Melissa often teaches emotion regulation skills drawn from dialectical behavior ideas and centers conversations on client needs. The work is collaborative and paced to what each person needs. Melissa practices in Maine as an LCSW - Licensed Clinical Social Worker.
Sessions are conversational and goal-oriented, with a focus on helping people feel more capable between appointments.
Focus areas and approaches
Everything Melissa lists on their public professional profile, in their own terms.
- Stress, Anxiety
- Family conflicts
- Trauma and abuse
- Depression
- ADHD
- Addictions
- Relationship issues
- Intimacy-related issues
- Eating disorders
- Parenting issues
- Anger management
- Self esteem
- Career difficulties
- Bipolar disorder
- Coping with life changes
- Coaching
- Compassion fatigue
- Abandonment
- Blended family issues
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Co-morbidity
- Codependency
- Communication problems
- Control issues
- Divorce and separation
- Domestic violence
- Drug and alcohol addiction
- Family problems
- First responder issues
- Guilt and shame
- Impulsivity
- Life purpose
- Midlife crisis
- Mood disorders
- Obsessions, compulsions, and OCD
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Postpartum depression
- Post-traumatic stress
- Pregnancy and childbirth
- Process addiction (porn, exercise, gambling)
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Self-harm
- Sexual assault and abuse
- Smoking / vaping cessation
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Women's issues
- Workplace issues
- Young adult issues
Approaches Melissa names
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
- Attachment-Based Therapy
- Client-Centered Therapy
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
- Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT)
- Existential Therapy
- Mindfulness Therapy
- Motivational Interviewing
- Narrative Therapy
- Solution-Focused 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
How evidence-based approaches translate to online care
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) focuses on helping people notice difficult thoughts and feelings without letting them dictate choices, and then commit to values-based action. It can help with anxiety, depression, and feeling stuck. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) looks at the links between thoughts, feelings, and actions and teaches practical skills to shift unhelpful patterns. This approach often helps with anxiety, mood, and coping with day-to-day stress. Attachment-Based Therapy pays attention to how early and current relationships shape reactions and trust, and it can be useful for relationship, intimacy, and family-related concerns.Finding the right approach is part of the process. Melissa will work together with each person to choose which methods fit their goals and preferences. That collaborative process lets goals, comfort level, and real-life constraints shape the plan rather than a one-size-fits-all method.
Online therapy offers flexibility through video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging. Video sessions allow face-to-face conversation and visual cues. Phone sessions can be easier when bandwidth is limited or for brief check-ins. Live chat and messaging suit quick updates, coaching-style support, or people who prefer writing their thoughts. These options help fit therapy into work, family life, and busy schedules while keeping the focus on practical strategies and steady progress.
We will earn a commission if you sign up through our link, at no cost to you. It does not change what you pay or the order of the listings.
Questions people ask
What kinds of concerns does Melissa address?
She works with stress, anxiety, depression, trauma and abuse, addictions, relationship and intimacy issues, parenting strain, eating concerns, ADHD, bipolar, career problems, and coping with life changes among other related areas.
What is her therapeutic style like?
Melissa uses a calm, nonjudgmental, strength-based and solution-focused style. Sessions focus on practical skills and clear goals to help people make steady progress.
How much experience does she have?
She has 25 years of experience working in mental health and addiction settings, including hospitals, community programs, and independent practice.
Where is she licensed and based?
Melissa holds LCSW credentials and practices in Maine; her licences include ME LCSW and NH LCSW as listed.
Which languages are supported for sessions?
Sessions are offered in English.
What session formats are available?
She offers video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging to fit different needs and schedules.
How is cost handled for sessions?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability; sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
How do I begin working with her?
Begin by selecting the Start Therapy button, completing a short matching questionnaire, and then scheduling according to therapist availability.
More therapists in Maine
See all
Samantha Chaplin
LCSW, LICSW
Calm, practical support for everyday challenges
- Stress, Anxiety
- Addictions
- Parenting
Nirvana Shaw
LCSW
Experienced mind-body LCSW supporting life changes
- LGBT
- Career
- Coping with life changes
Reba Parla
LCSW
Practical, strengths-based support for lasting change
- Stress, Anxiety
- Anger
- Self esteem
Is this your profile?
Ask us to correct details or take the page down.
Contact us