Frequently Asked Questions

Yes. I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker-Supervisor (LCSW-S), which is the credential Texas requires in order for your supervision hours to count toward clinical licensure.

Both. I supervise online with LMSWs anywhere in Texas, and in person with supervisees in the Austin area.

No. Texas requires your supervisor to hold the supervisor credential in your own profession — an LPC Associate needs an LPC-S and an LMFT Associate needs an LMFT-S. As an LCSW-S, I supervise LMSWs working toward the LCSW.

You will complete 3,000 hours of supervised clinical work over no fewer than two years, and within those hours you need 100 hours of supervision with a board-approved supervisor.

As you approach 3,000 hours, you can register for the ASWB Clinical exam, which you must pass within one year of being approved to test. Once you pass, you will use the online licensing system to submit your Clinical Supervision Verification Form, your jurisprudence exam (taken within six months of your application), and the other required materials — and upgrade your license.

As a board-approved supervisor, I will guide you through CEUs, test prep, and rulebook updates along the way. Requirements do change, so always confirm the current rules with the Texas Behavioral Health Executive Council before you plan your timeline.

Absolutely. When you switch from one supervisor to another, make sure you receive a Clinical Supervision Verification Form from every supervisor you have worked with, each one showing the number of hours you completed together. The Board does not currently limit how many supervisors you can have across your hours, but you cannot work with more than one at a time — and no more than 10 hours of supervision count in any one month.

Both are excellent ways to advance your clinical skills, and neither is better than the other. Group supervision lets you learn from peers working in different settings, with different clinical experiences to draw on. Individual supervision gives you focused time on your own clinical and ethical dilemmas, your development as a clinician, and one-on-one support for test prep.

If you are not sure which one fits you, we can talk it through before you start.

Group supervision is $50 per hour. Individual supervision is $100 per hour.

Send me a message through the Chat page and tell me where you are in the licensure process, the setting you work in, and what you are hoping to get out of supervision. We will set up a time to talk it through and see whether we are a good fit.

Trauma and PTSD, depression and anxiety, domestic violence and the aftermath of being a victim of crime, relationship issues, addiction, and women’s issues — including the emotional side of GLP-1 use and weight loss. If what brings you in is not on this list, ask anyway.

Premarital counseling, substance use in a relationship, couples where one partner is struggling with their mental health, and couples who are child-free by choice. I have a particular passion for working with interfaith couples.

Yes. I accept insurance for individual therapy with clients ages 16 and older, anywhere in Texas. Reach out through the Chat page and I will let you know what your coverage looks like before we schedule.

Individual sessions are 50 minutes at $125.

No. Insurance covers therapy when it treats a diagnosed mental health condition in one person, and couples work is aimed at the relationship rather than a diagnosis, so it is private pay. Couples sessions are 75 minutes at $200 per couple.

I ask for 24 hours’ notice to cancel or reschedule. Sessions canceled with less notice, or missed without notice, are charged a $75 fee. This applies whether you are using insurance or paying privately — a missed session is never covered by insurance, so the fee comes to you directly rather than through your plan.

Life happens, and I use discretion. If something genuinely gets in the way, tell me.

I see therapy clients by telehealth only, and I can work with anyone located anywhere in Texas. Connection is the whole point of with Melissa, and a screen does not get in the way of it — telehealth builds real, lasting therapeutic relationships, and it makes a standing appointment far easier to keep around work, childcare, and an Austin commute.

I earned my Master of Science in Social Work from the University of Texas at Austin, after a bachelor’s degree in neuroscience from Quinnipiac University. I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker-Supervisor (LCSW-S) in Texas.

My clinical training includes EMDR, the Gottman Method for couples, cognitive behavioral therapy, motivational interviewing, and mindfulness-based approaches. I am also trained in clinical supervision, forensic social work, and expert witness testimony.

Yes — a free 15-minute consultation, so we can both get a sense of whether we are a good fit before you commit to anything.

Send me a message through the Chat page. Tell me a little about what brings you in and whether you are looking for individual or couples work, and we will set up your free consultation. That first conversation is about fit — whether I am the right person for this, and if I am not, helping you find who is.