Eva "Melissa" Gadd, LMSW

Eva "Melissa" Gadd is a licensed master social worker (LMSW) with 25 years of experience. She focuses on helping people manage stress, anxiety, depression, grief, and major life changes. Melissa aims to build steady, practical support that fits into everyday life and respects each person's strengths.

She draws on a person-in-environment perspective, looking at how life circumstances affect wellbeing. In sessions she listens first, then works collaboratively to set clear goals. Techniques she uses include motivational interviewing and cognitive behavioral strategies to shift unhelpful thoughts and patterns.

Melissa has worked in both medical social work and outpatient therapy settings. That background informs how she supports people facing health challenges, caregiving stress, chronic illness, and aging and geriatric issues. She also addresses relationship concerns, parenting stress, career shifts, and issues like shame, guilt, and forgiveness.

Sessions are practical and paced to what the person needs. Melissa emphasizes small, doable steps and learning skills that help between meetings. She values connection, acceptance, and respectful challenge to help people move toward their goals.

People who choose her often want an experienced clinician who listens and offers straightforward tools. She explains options clearly and adjusts approaches if something is not helping. To begin, she asks about current struggles and what matters most to the client, then co-creates a plan to address those priorities.

Approaches that guide online work

Melissa often draws on client-centered work, cognitive behavioral strategies, and motivational interviewing in online sessions. Client-centered work means listening closely and shaping the session around what matters most to the person, which helps with emotional concerns and life transitions. Cognitive behavioral therapy focuses on identifying and changing unhelpful thoughts and behaviors, which can reduce anxiety, mood problems, and sleeping issues. Motivational interviewing uses gentle, goal-focused conversation to boost readiness for change and can help with addictions, caregiving choices, and difficult lifestyle shifts.

Finding the right approach is a collaborative process. Melissa will talk with the person about goals and try methods that fit their needs and preferences. If an approach doesn’t feel helpful, she adjusts the plan together so the work stays practical and relevant.

The biography does not list specific online session formats, so confirm available options before booking. Online work can make it easier to fit therapy into busy days, allow shorter or more frequent check-ins, and reduce travel time. It also makes it simpler to continue care when health, caregiving, or mobility issues make in-person visits difficult. Licensed professionals can adapt exercises, homework, and grounding techniques to the online setting so clients keep making progress between sessions.