Melinna Perez, LMFT

Melinna Perez is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) practicing in California with ten years of clinical experience. She greets people with warmth and straightforward care and aims to make the first step into therapy feel manageable. Melinna speaks English and Spanish and draws on many approaches to tailor work to each person’s needs.

Her style centers on meeting people where they are. Sessions focus on clear goals and practical steps, with room for emotion and personal meaning. She often uses person-centered listening alongside techniques that help change unhelpful patterns of thought and behavior.

She has worked with people dealing with stress, anxiety, depression, grief, eating and body image concerns, trauma and abuse, and relationship and intimacy issues. Melinna also supports people facing life transitions, burnout and compassion fatigue, ADHD-related challenges, and concerns related to gender and sexual identity.

Her background includes individual and group work in both residential and outpatient settings. She brings experience from working with a wide range of presentations such as bipolar disorder, addiction, insomnia, and attachment and abandonment concerns. Education includes a Master of Marriage and Family Therapy from USC and earlier bachelor’s degrees in psychology and English.

In sessions she prioritizes a nonjudgmental tone and encourages honest expression. People can expect practical tools, reflective conversation, and collaborative planning aimed at manageable change. She invites prospective clients to consider whether her approach fits their needs before scheduling.

Approaches that translate to online work

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps people clarify values and take meaningful action despite difficult thoughts or feelings. It teaches simple acceptance and commitment skills that can be practiced between sessions and applied to life transitions and stress. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) focuses on identifying unhelpful thinking patterns and testing new behaviors. It is practical and goal-oriented, useful for anxiety, depression, and habit change. Client-Centered Therapy prioritizes empathic listening and the client’s own pace and choices; it creates space for exploring identity, relationships, and difficult emotions.

Finding the best approach is part of the work. Melinna will talk with each person about goals and preferences and then suggest which methods to try. That choice is revisited over time so the plan stays aligned with changing needs and what feels helpful in practice.

Confirm current session options before booking so you know what formats are available. Online therapy can make it easier to fit sessions into a busy life, cut travel time, and allow check-ins during a lunch break or between errands. It also makes it simpler to continue therapy through life changes, while still focusing on concrete skills, reflection, and steady progress.