Melissa Stokes, AASW, AHPRA

Melissa Stokes brings 25 years of professional experience to her work as a psychologist and accredited mental health social worker. She practices from Psychological Therapy Services in Payneham, Adelaide and offers consultations online. Melissa holds AASW, indicating accreditation as a social worker, and is registered with AHPRA, Australia's national health practitioner regulator. Her background spans public and private practice and includes roles in domestic violence services, child, adolescent and adult community mental health, youth justice, rape and sexual assault services, and hospitals.

Throughout her career Melissa has trained in and applied a wide range of evidence-informed therapies, drawing on approaches such as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT), acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing (EMDR) and other trauma-focused and interpersonal modalities. She integrates psychoeducation and skills training alongside therapeutic work to reduce distress and enhance wellbeing, tailoring interventions to each person’s needs and strengths.

Melissa’s practice is inclusive of diverse genders, cultures and sexual identities, with particular clinical focus areas including stress, anxiety, trauma and abuse, grief, eating and sleeping concerns, parenting, self esteem, bipolar disorder, depression and ADHD. Her therapeutic style blends cognitive-behavioural, trauma-informed, person-centred and attachment-based perspectives to create personalised treatment plans.

She also supervises students and colleagues, contributing to the development of the next generation of mental health professionals. Melissa has been involved in research and education work, including projects at the Research and Education Unit for Gendered Violence and a thesis exploring characteristics and motivations of online mindfulness users. Outside of work she enjoys hiking, foraging, music, board games, cooking, yoga, comedy, spending time with her dogs, being in nature and getting lost in gardens.