Melissa Gibans

AMFT #156332

Sorrento Valley Therapist

Associate Marriage & Family Therapist

about Melissa

The human experience inevitably brings challenges—times of difficult decisions, transitions, and opportunities to explore our experiences and relationships in deeper ways. Reaching out for support during these moments takes strength and courage, and it can also mark the beginning of a powerful journey toward greater insight, healing, and fulfillment.

Hi, I’m Melissa Gibans (she/her), an Associate Marriage and Family Therapist. I earned my undergraduate degree in Psychology from Colorado State University and my Master’s degree in Marital and Family Therapy from the University of San Diego.

I am passionate about supporting individuals, couples, and families. My clinical experience includes working in reproductive mental health and with those experiencing moments of crisis.

Through those experiences, I have provided support for:

Postpartum and Perinatal Distress
Relationship and Marital Issues
Trauma and Developmental Trauma
Stress Management
Grief and Loss
Anxiety and Depression
Career Coaching
And more

Regardless of the challenge, I believe in moving one step at a time, in collaboration with my clients, and trusting the therapeutic process. Together, we determine which approaches may be most supportive. I am also dedicated to this work and to consistently learning. I have additional training in:

I also draw from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), and somatic perspectives. Because each person, couple, or family is unique, I work alongside my clients to tailor therapy to their needs.

Before becoming a therapist, I became an ICF accredited career coach and worked at a Fortune 10 company across the U.S. and U.K. leading global teams and programs, coaching and facilitating, and managing initiatives focused on equity and inclusion. Informed by these experiences, I am deeply passionate and committed to providing culturally responsive care. I have additional training in working with LGBTQ+ populations and strive to create a space where my clients feel safe to bring their full selves and diverse experiences.

Recent Reviews

"I’ve been working with Melissa at Good Therapy and cannot recommend her enough. She’s incredibly supportive and always checks in on how I’m doing. She tailors each session to my needs and consistently shares helpful resources, which really shows how much she cares about her patients. I always leave our sessions feeling heard, supported, and with practical tools I can use in my daily life."

"Melissa has been an absolute delight to work with for couples counseling. She is calm, patient, and understanding. She does an excellent job of moderating our couples sessions and has helped us navigate a very challenging time. She has given us tools to continue grow even when we are out of session. Highly recommend her!"

Anonymous Couple

“This review is specifically about Melissa Gibans as she is our therapist. My wife and I started seeing her to help our communication and work through conflict better. We wanted to gain tools to help us ride the rocky times more smoothly. She gives us very applicable strategies for us to work on, and we have benefited greatly from them. Never do I feel like she is brushing us off, or not deeply wanting to understand both of our view points. She kindly walks us through every exercise so we gain an understanding of how it should flow, giving feedback to both of us. She has a knack for inserting herself at the right moments to ask questions for deeper understanding or to prevent us from going off the rails! Melissa is a very talented therapist, I would recommend her without hesitation."