Hi there, I’m Melissa! As a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in California and Hawaii, I specialize in treating adults with anxiety-related disorders, including generalized anxiety disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and panic disorder.

I also have a special interest in supporting high functioning professionals struggling with perfectionism paralysis. This shows up when you’re capable, driven, and smart, yet stuck overanalyzing every decision because it has to be the right one. All-or-nothing thinking and catastrophizing convince you that one wrong move could derail everything, so you delay, overwork, or carry the mental load alone. The result isn’t failure - it’s burnout, stalled momentum, and constant self-doubt despite outward success.

I am passionate about helping people reconnect with what truly matters to them. My approach is action oriented and combines the best of Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Exposure & Response Prevention (ERP) to help you break free from this cycle. Through mindfulness-based strategies from ACT for anxiety and ERP for OCD, we’ll work together to build your ability to tolerate discomfort and uncertainty, without falling back into old patterns. This puts you back in control, empowering you to make decisions that align with your core values, not your fears.

Most importantly, you’ll discover how resilient you truly are.

While anxiety is hardwired into us and not something we can simply eliminate, we can learn to manage it so it no longer drives our decisions. You’ll learn to live in alignment with your values instead of reacting to the constant loop of “what ifs,” and fear.

Therapy is vulnerable work and I’m honored to sit with you.