Melissa Guarnaccia

Melissa Guarnaccia is a licensed clinical social worker with eleven years of experience. She uses practical, action-focused methods to help people handle stress, anxiety, depression, relationship problems, and career concerns. Melissa brings a relaxed, open-minded, and nonjudgmental style to sessions while also keeping work focused and goal-oriented.

She relies on approaches such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) to help people change unhelpful thinking and build values-driven actions. In sessions she combines talk with concrete strategies you can try between meetings. This approach is aimed at reducing symptoms and helping people get back to daily life more consistently.

Melissa’s background includes work in hospital, school, and private practice settings. She has experience supporting people through family conflict, parenting challenges, grief, trauma and abuse, issues with intimacy, eating concerns, anger, and bipolar mood concerns. She also offers workshops and is a certified instructor in Parenting with Love & Logic.

She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a Master’s Degree in Social Work from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Melissa holds credentials as LISW-CP and LCSW in North Carolina.

Outside of work she lives near Charlotte, North Carolina, with her family and a pug named Mabel. She often spends free time outdoors and enjoys travel and exploring other cultures.

How ACT and CBT Shape Online Sessions

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) focuses on noticing thoughts and feelings without getting stuck in them, then choosing actions that match personal values. It can help when anxiety, depression, or unclear priorities make it hard to move forward.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) looks at the connection between thoughts, feelings, and behaviors and teaches concrete skills to challenge unhelpful thinking and build new habits. CBT is often used for anxiety, mood concerns, and stress that affects daily functioning.

Finding the right approach is part of the process. The therapist will work together with the client to figure out which methods best fit goals, needs, and preferences. Sessions can combine elements from both ACT and CBT so work stays practical and relevant to real life.

The biography does not list specific online session formats, so confirm available options before booking. Online therapy can make it easier to fit appointments into a busy schedule, reduce travel time, and allow shorter check-ins when needed. It can also let people use strategies learned in sessions more quickly in their daily routines. Licensed professionals can adjust pace and format to match a client’s needs as they go along.