About
Melissa Liptak
Psychotherapist
I’m a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in California (#147705) with a master’s degree in counseling psychology. With compassion and support, I help individuals navigate life’s challenges, including anxiety, depression, relationships, parenting, career, grief/loss, and major life changes—such as divorce, separation, and the empty nest transition.
My clinical training spans medical centers, hospice care, schools, and private practice, where I’ve supported adults, children, and families through life’s most complex and tender moments.
My path to this work is deeply personal. Caring for a loved one with severe mental illness gave me firsthand insight into how the right support—or the absence of it—can profoundly shape lives. That experience fuels my commitment to providing compassionate, effective care.
I live in San Francisco with my husband, daughter, and our spirited English Setter, Charley. Outside of my practice, I find joy and meaning volunteering with Guide Dogs for the Blind and Sutter Hospice, practicing yoga, cooking, gathering with friends, and exploring the beauty of the Bay Area.
I hold a master’s degree in counseling psychology from the University of San Francisco, as well as degrees from Rutgers University (magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa) and New York University.
My clinical training has taken me through a range of settings, allowing me to support individuals and families across all stages of life with depth, understanding, and care.
> At California Pacific Medical Center’s (CPMC) Child Development Center, the largest multidisciplinary child development clinic in Northern California, I worked with children and families navigating complex emotional and developmental challenges. As part of CPMC’s community outreach, I also provided school-based counseling for at-risk students and their families—helping them build resilience, foster academic success, and strengthen emotional well-being.
> At Pathways Hospice, I supported individuals and families through the profound experience of grief and loss, creating a compassionate space for healing, reflection, and finding meaning.
> In private practice in San Francisco, I worked with children, teens, young adults, and parents struggling with anxiety, depression, OCD, emotion regulation, learning and behavioral difficulties, and academic stress—helping them learn practical tools, enhance their coping skills, and rebuild a sense of confidence and self-trust.
Before becoming a therapist, I worked in corporate marketing, where I focused on corporate social responsibility—developing programs that addressed social and environmental issues while strengthening the communities we served.
Each of these experiences has shaped my approach to therapy: integrative, compassionate, and deeply attuned to the unique needs of every individual and family I work with.
Continual learning and growth are at the heart of my therapy practice. I’m committed to deepening my expertise, refining my skills, and staying up to date with research-backed approaches so I can offer the most effective support to my clients.
> Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) – I have advanced training from the Beck Institute as well as specialized expertise in TEAM-CBT, developed by Dr. David Burns, a pioneer in the field.
> Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) – I’ve completed advanced training and receive ongoing consultation in ACT, an evidence-based approach that fosters psychological flexibility and resilience.
> Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) – My DBT training focuses on balancing acceptance and change, helping clients regulate emotions, navigate relationships, and break unhelpful patterns.
> SPACE (Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions) – Trained in this parent-based intervention from the Yale Child Study Center, I help families support children struggling with anxiety and OCD.
Beyond these structured modalities, I am deeply interested in the mind-body-spirit connection, an area increasingly supported by psychology and neuroscience. Research shows that mindfulness-based interventions can reduce stress, enhance emotional regulation, and even reshape the brain for greater well-being. Drawing on advanced training in Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), self-compassion practices, and Buddhist psychology, I integrate these approaches to help clients cultivate self-awareness, emotional balance, and inner resilience.