Melissa Fogle

Melissa Fogle is a California licensed marriage and family therapist (LMFT) with 21 years of professional experience. She focuses on helping people manage stress, anxiety, trauma, grief, and low self-esteem. Her approach is grounded in straightforward conversation and practical skills that make daily life more manageable.

She often supports people navigating major life changes and those feeling stuck in motivation or purpose. Melissa listens for patterns that increase shame, guilt, and control struggles, and then helps people experiment with different ways of responding. Her work includes attention to caregiving strain, communication problems, and healing after painful experiences.

In sessions she aims to create a calm, nonjudgmental space where emotions and thoughts can be named and examined. Rather than relying on jargon, Melissa uses clear tools and steps clients can try between meetings. Progress is framed in small, observable changes rather than dramatic promises.

Melissa incorporates techniques informed by Dialectical Behavior Therapy and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing where appropriate. She explains options and helps people choose methods that match their needs and comfort level. The focus is on building skills for emotion regulation and processing difficult memories.

Many people who come to her are wrestling with questions of self-love, forgiveness, and life purpose. Melissa offers supportive guidance as clients practice new habits, adjust expectations, and work toward a more balanced everyday life.

Using DBT and EMDR in online therapy

Dialectical Behavior Therapy, or DBT, focuses on teaching concrete skills like distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and better ways to communicate. It is useful for people who want clear tools to manage intense feelings and improve daily coping.

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, or EMDR, is a method that helps people process distressing memories so those memories cause less emotional charge. It is often used for people recovering from trauma and abuse and is introduced carefully with preparation and pacing.

Finding the right approach is part of the work. Melissa discusses options with each person and chooses techniques based on their needs, goals, and comfort. She treats this as a collaborative process and adjusts the plan as progress is observed.

If you are considering online therapy, confirm the current session options before booking. Online work can make it easier to fit sessions into a busy life, shorten check-ins when time is limited, or avoid travel time. Licensed professionals can adapt DBT skills practice and trauma-focused work to remote settings, and Melissa will explain how specific methods would be used in your sessions.