Melissa Mendez

Melissa Mendez is a licensed professional counselor who resides in Waco, Texas and holds counseling licenses to practice in both Texas and Oklahoma. Over eight years in the mental health field, her work has concentrated on supporting families with young children and addressing the particular challenges parents and children face.

Since the start of the pandemic she has focused on building an online therapy practice and has been working exclusively through telehealth. For the past three years she has provided Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy to treat trauma and related concerns, and she has observed its effectiveness for symptoms of PTSD as well as depression and anxiety.

Melissa emphasizes identifying trauma responses and helping nervous systems regulate after exposure to stress, adversity, and trauma. She works diligently to help clients manage trauma reactions, anxiety, depression, and the relational challenges that often accompany mental health struggles.

Her path to counseling followed an undergraduate degree in Nutritional Sciences from Texas A&M University. Her therapeutic style is warm yet direct, collaborative, and respectful of a client’s autonomy. She most often draws on person-centered, attachment-informed, trauma-informed, and integrative approaches to tailor treatment to each person’s needs.

She typically works with individuals interested in self-reflection and developing a growth mindset, using evidence-based methods such as EMDR, Trust Based Relational Intervention (TBRI), Circle of Security Parenting (COS-P), Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), and Motivational Interviewing (MI). In her experience, the length of therapy varies by individual needs, and she values both structure and flexibility in planning treatment.

Melissa notes that she is a real person pursuing a meaningful life like her clients, and she does not present therapy as a quick fix. Rather, she believes that with time, effort, and consistency people can access their innate resources and move toward greater wellness. Having sat on both sides of the proverbial couch, she recognizes the significance therapy can hold and she wishes those seeking help well as they select a clinician.