- Warm and engaged
- Strengths focused
- Practical tools
About Melissa
Melissa Strauss is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) based in Pennsylvania who helps people manage stress, anxiety, depression, relationship concerns, and questions about identity and intimacy. She also supports those coping with grief, parenting pressures, eating and sleeping difficulties, ADHD, career changes, and life transitions. Melissa brings 13 years of counseling experience to her work and approaches sessions with warmth and engagement.
She emphasizes practical, person-focused care and believes each client brings strengths to the process. Sessions are collaborative and paced to match the client's needs. Melissa aims to keep time with her clients feeling purposeful and manageable.
Her work draws on several well-known therapeutic approaches, including cognitive behavioral strategies and emotionally-focused methods. She also uses acceptance-oriented ideas and attachment-based thinking to address how people relate to others and to themselves. Therapy plans are tailored rather than one-size-fits-all.
Melissa has experience with relationship challenges, blended family concerns, family of origin issues, fertility and fatherhood questions, and caregiver stress. She also supports people facing body image, shame, isolation, and meaning-in-life questions. Clients often work on communication, coping skills, and rebuilding trust in relationships.
People who value a direct but empathetic style may find her approach useful. She works in English and accepts international clients. To begin, prospective clients complete a matching questionnaire and schedule based on her availability.
How therapeutic approaches translate to online work
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps people notice difficult thoughts and feelings without getting stuck in them, then choose actions that match their values. It can be useful for anxiety, depression, and making life changes. Attachment-Based Therapy focuses on patterns in close relationships and helps people understand and change how they connect with others. It can help with intimacy, trust, and family-related concerns. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) looks at how thoughts, feelings, and behaviors interact and teaches practical skills to reduce distress and change unhelpful routines.Finding the right approach is part of the work. The therapist will talk with the client about goals, preferences, and what feels most helpful. Together they will pick or blend methods so sessions fit the client's needs and daily life.
Session logistics should be confirmed before booking since formats are not specified here. Online therapy can make it easier to fit appointments into a busy schedule, reduce travel time, and allow shorter check-ins when needed. It also makes working across time zones possible for international clients. Licensed professionals adapt the same therapeutic tools used in person to remote sessions, focusing on clear goals, homework between sessions, and practical problem solving to help clients move forward.
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
13+ years
Credentials
Pennsylvania, New Jersey
Languages
English
Frequently asked questions
What issues does Melissa help with?
She supports people with stress, anxiety, depression, relationship and intimacy issues, grief, self-esteem, eating and sleeping problems, and ADHD among other concerns.
What is her therapeutic style like?
Her style is warm and engaging with a focus on collaboration and practical steps. Sessions emphasize clients' strengths and concrete skill building.
How much experience does she have?
Melissa has 13 years of experience working as a Licensed Professional Counselor with a variety of issues including trauma, sexual identity work, infertility, and family dynamics.
Where is she based and what are her credentials?
She is based in Pennsylvania and holds the LPC credential listed as LPC.
Which languages are supported for sessions?
Sessions are offered in English and she is open to working with international clients.
What session formats are available?
Specific session formats are not listed here, so please confirm current session options before booking.
How does cost and billing work?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability; sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
How do I get started?
Click the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule according to the therapist's availability.