Message to Clients
My goal is that every client feels a genuine connection, can be open and honest, and walks away with real, usable skills to draw on between sessions. I want therapy to feel helpful — not just a place to unload, but a place where something actually shifts.
My one request is simple: come with an open mind and a real desire to take steps toward sustainable change. You do not have to have it figured out. You just have to be willing.
I also want you to know this: do not settle for a therapist who is not the right fit. If it does not feel right after the first session, the second, or even the tenth — keep looking. Be your own best advocate. I promise, we will not be offended. As clinicians, our goal is for you to get better, not to keep you on our caseload indefinitely.
I cannot wait to get to know you and watch you grow. Welcome to therapy, and to our work together.
About Melissa True, LCSW-S / LCSW / LICSW / LICSW-CP
Melissa True is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker residing in Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi and providing fully virtual therapy to clients across 15 states: Texas, Florida, California, Maine, New Jersey, Virginia, West Virginia, Massachusetts, South Carolina, Colorado, Nevada, Vermont, Illinois, Hawaii, and Washington D.C.
Melissa earned her Master’s degree in Social Work from the University of Southern Maine. She holds a Supervisor designation (LCSW-S) and brings a strengths-based, trauma-informed perspective to every client relationship — emphasizing the unique strengths each person carries and the role those strengths play in building lasting mental health.
Many of Melissa’s clients are navigating the impacts of anxiety, depression, and trauma. She understands that unresolved trauma can touch every corner of a person’s life — making it harder to connect with others, sleep, manage emotions, and maintain healthy relationships. Her approach meets clients where they are and works with them to build the tools they need to continue growing outside of session.
Melissa’s clinical approach draws from a range of evidence-based modalities tailored to each client’s needs, including:
• Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
• Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT)
• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
• Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
• Internal Family Systems (IFS)
• Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
• Strengths-Based Therapy
• Solution-Focused Therapy
• Client-Centered Therapy
In addition to her licensure, Melissa holds the following certifications:
• Certified Clinical Anxiety Treatment Professional (CCATP)
• Certified Telemental Health Provider (CTMH)
• Certified Clinical Trauma Professional Level II (CCTP-II)
• ADHD-Certified Clinical Services Provider (ADHD-CCSP)
• C-DBT Certified
Specialties
• Anxiety — Excessive worry, nervousness, social anxiety, and panic disorder
• Depression and Mood Disorders — Persistent low mood, hopelessness, irritability, sleep disturbance, bipolar disorder, and loss of pleasure in daily life
• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) — Healing painful memories and trauma responses using Cognitive Processing Therapy and EMDR
• Reproductive Mental Health — Infertility counseling, pregnancy loss, perinatal and postpartum mood disorders (PPD, PPA), birth trauma, and the emotional arc of family-building
• Third-Party Reproduction — Psychological evaluations for intended parents, surrogates, egg donors, and sperm donors; joint evaluation sessions; ongoing support through the surrogacy and donor process
• Bariatric Evaluations — Pre-surgical psychological assessment and support
• Relationship Issues — Understanding needs and patterns in relationships; strengthening connection and satisfaction
• Women’s Health — Physical and emotional health concerns unique to women across the lifespan