LGBT therapists in Pinellas Park, FL

With over 10 years of experience as a licensed clinical social worker, I’ve supported individuals through some of the most challenging moments in their lives—including anxiety, depression, mood disorders, and substance use.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed, stuck, or unsure where to start, you’re not alone. I provide a supportive, nonjudgmental space where we can work through what’s going on and begin finding a path forward that feels realistic and manageable.

My background in healthcare settings has given me experience working with both mental health and medical challenges, allowing me to take a more holistic view of what you’re going through.

My name is Melyssa Rivera-Lopez; a Forensic Licensed Clinician who graduated with high honors from Barry University. I have 20 + years of experience working in the field. Responsibilities include delivering evidence-based treatment options, assessments, diagnosis, recommendations pertaining to mental health status, and serving as an expert witness. Other functions include policy and program development, mediation, advocacy, and behavioral science research.

Seeking mental health care can feel overwhelming, but you don’t have to navigate it alone. I am a board-certified Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP-BC) providing compassionate, evidence-based psychiatric care for adults experiencing anxiety, depression, ADHD, trauma-related concerns, mood disorders, and other emotional or behavioral challenges.

As a bilingual English-Spanish provider, I am passionate about improving access to high-quality mental health care for diverse communities and creating a safe space where clients feel comfortable expressing themselves in the language they know best. My goal is to build trust, empower healing, and support you every step of your journey toward better mental health.

Seeking therapy can feel overwhelming, but you don’t have to face life’s challenges alone. As a Licensed Mental Health Counselor with over 10 years of experience, I work with children, teens, adults, and couples struggling with anxiety, depression, trauma, grief, relationship concerns, stress, and life transitions. I provide a warm, supportive, and nonjudgmental environment where clients feel heard and understood. My goal is to help you gain insight, develop healthy coping skills, and create meaningful, lasting change so you can live a more balanced and fulfilling life.

Personally and professionally, I pride myself on my rapport with everyone that I encounter. I have genuine and unconditional respect and patience for others. I remain objective and non-judgmental, while still developing close working relationships that are productive and challenging. I specialize in improving thoughts, emotions, behaviors, and outcomes.

I enjoy working in music production, and share music therapy exercises often. I look forward to delving into any interests that you are looking to pursue. It is very important to discover your talents and develop confidence in articulating and communicating thoughts and feelings. These can be great coping skills, recreation, or even a potential career.

I graduated from The Ohio State University with my DNP in 2020 focusing on efficient pathways to implement depression screening post-stroke to identify mental health needs. After working a couple years as a nurse practitioner within neurosurgery, I transitioned from Ohio to Florida and pursued my PMHNP certification from Florida State University. Over the past 5 years I have been treating psychiatric needs in LTC around Florida. I am currently working to expand into independent practice and work personally with individuals creating a therapeutic relationship and enhancing their mental health.

Audrey Sanchez is an Art Therapist (ATR-P) at Gainesville Healing House and a Licensed Mental Health Counselor. Throughout her career Audrey has provided mental health therapy within schools, clinical settings as well as in-home to children, adults, families, and groups. Audrey utilizes evidence-based interventions to address issues related to mental health, associated behavioral concerns, stress management and emotion regulation. Audrey has helped clients learn about effective parenting styles, communication styles and the effects of trauma on childhood development and behaviors.

Audrey’s therapeutic approach is based in humanistic theory and helps clients to achieve personal growth through modalities such as expressive arts, therapeutic play, solution-focused, DBT, CBAT, Emotion Focused Therapy (EFT), amongst others. Audrey is also EMDR trained. Audrey is empathetic, offers a collaborative and non-judgmental space in efforts to understand symptoms in context and build individualized therapeutic goals. She speaks fluent Spanish.

Sometimes the way you learned to cope is no longer helping you live the life you want. You may turn to substances when emotions become overwhelming, find yourself reacting with anger you later regret, or feel trapped between anxiety, depression, and painful experiences from your past. These struggles can begin affecting your relationships, family, confidence, and ability to recognize yourself. I provide virtual individual and family therapy in English and Spanish for adolescents, adults, and seniors throughout Florida, with a focus on substance use and addiction, anxiety, depression, anger management, and trauma. I also support clients navigating family and relationship issues, PTSD, grief and loss, stress, major life transitions, women’s issues, maternal mental health, identity concerns, ADHD, bipolar disorder, OCD, and eating disorders when these challenges intersect with the primary reasons they seek therapy. My goal is to help you understand what is keeping you stuck, reconnect with your strengths, and develop healthier ways to move forward.

If you've spent a long time handling everything on your own, the idea of opening up in therapy can feel uncomfortable — maybe even a little vulnerable. You might be stuck in your head, second-guessing yourself, or repeating patterns you can't quite break no matter how hard you try. You don't need to have it all figured out before you reach out. You just need a willingness to start, and I'll meet you right there.

With more than fifteen years of experience in behavioral health, my work is shaped by a deep commitment to helping individuals feel understood, supported, and empowered. My education and early training focused on counseling, addiction treatment, and behavioral health assessment, and I spent many years providing individual, group, and family therapy across detox, residential, and outpatient settings. I’ve worked closely with adults navigating substance use, trauma, anxiety, depression, anger or impulse concerns, ADHD, bipolar disorder, and relationship or family challenges. I’ve also supported LGBTQ+ clients, justice‐involved individuals, and those managing chronic mental illness or complex psychosocial stressors.

In addition to my clinical work, I’ve spent more than a decade in behavioral health utilization management, leading teams that ensure clients receive appropriate, timely, and effective care. This blend of direct therapeutic experience and system‐level leadership gives me a unique perspective: I understand both the personal and structural challenges people face when seeking help. Clients can expect a grounded, compassionate, and collaborative approach—one that honors their story, builds on their strengths, and supports meaningful, sustainable growth.