Melissa Strauss is a Licensed Professional Counselor who helps people facing stress, anxiety, depression, relationship struggles, grief, and issues around identity and parenting.
01About Melissa
Melissa Strauss is a Licensed Professional Counselor who helps people facing stress, anxiety, depression, relationship struggles, grief, and issues around identity and parenting. She works with adults on problems such as eating and sleeping concerns, intimacy and sexual identity, anger, and life transitions. Her tone is warm and straightforward and she aims to make sessions feel manageable for busy people.
She draws from several approaches to match what each person needs.
Background and approach
Sessions are collaborative - she listens first, then offers tools that fit the situation. Melissa emphasizes strengths and practical steps that can be used between meetings. Her background includes 13 years in counseling, with experience addressing trauma, family-of-origin concerns, blended family dynamics, and caregiver stress.
She also supports people navigating fertility, fatherhood questions, and gender dysphoria related concerns. That breadth helps when problems overlap, like when work stress affects relationships. In sessions she may use thought-focused techniques to shift unhelpful patterns and emotion-focused work to improve connection and safety.
Attachment-focused ideas guide work on communication and closeness. The aim is clearer thinking, steadier moods, and better ways to handle conflict. Melissa prefers a collaborative plan that fits each person’s life.
She helps set practical goals and suggests exercises to try between sessions. Progress is tracked in straightforward ways so people can see what is changing and where to adjust next.
02Credentials
- LPC (Pennsylvania)
- License PC008592 · expires February 2027
- LPC (New Jersey)
- License 37PC00767200 · expires November 2026
- NPI
- 1306200571 · national provider identifier
Both are public records. A state board register will confirm a license and its standing, and the national registry will confirm an NPI. This directory copies what the counselor lists and checks neither.
03Focus areas and approaches
Everything Melissa lists on their public professional profile, in their own terms.
- Stress, Anxiety
- Relationship issues
- Grief
- Self esteem
- Depression
- LGBT
- Family conflicts
- Trauma and abuse
- Intimacy-related issues
- Eating disorders
- Sleeping disorders
- Parenting issues
- Anger management
- Career difficulties
- Bipolar disorder
- Coping with life changes
- Coaching
- ADHD
- Attachment issues
- Blended family issues
- Body image
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Communication problems
- Control issues
- Eating and food-related issues
- Family of origin issues
- Family problems
- Fatherhood issues
- Fertility issues
- Gender dysphoria
- Guilt and shame
- Isolation / loneliness
- Life purpose
- Men's issues
- Polyamory / non-monogamous relationships
- Postpartum depression
- Post-traumatic stress
- Pregnancy and childbirth
- Self-love
- Sexuality
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Traumatic brain injury
- Women's issues
Methods Melissa names
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
- Attachment-Based Therapy
- Client-Centered Therapy
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT)
- Gottman Method
- Mindfulness Therapy
- Solution-Focused Therapy
- Somatic Therapy
- Trauma-Focused Therapy
- Internal Family Systems
These are the methods Melissa names on their own professional profile. Naming an approach is not evidence of training or certification in it, and this directory checks no training records. Ask directly if it matters to you.
We will earn a commission if you sign up through our link, at no cost to you. It does not change what you pay or the order of the listings.
04Online support
How Melissa’s approaches work online
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, or ACT, focuses on clarifying values and taking small actions that align with what matters most. It helps when worry, avoidance, or painful emotions get in the way of living a chosen life. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, looks at how thoughts and behaviors keep problems going and offers concrete strategies to change them, which is useful for anxiety, depression, and sleep or eating struggles. Attachment-Based Therapy uses ideas about how people connect and relate to improve communication and rebuild trust in relationships.Finding the right approach is part of the work. Melissa collaborates with each person to decide which methods fit their situation and preferences. That might mean mixing strategies - practical skill-building from CBT alongside emotion-focused or attachment work - and adjusting the plan as goals evolve.
Online sessions are offered by video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging to make therapy more flexible. Video calls let people use visual cues to practice communication skills. Phone sessions can be easier when bandwidth is limited or when someone needs a quicker check-in. Live chat and text-based messaging suit short updates, coaching-style support, or people who prefer writing. These options help therapy fit around work, caregiving, or travel while keeping the focus on progress and practical steps.
05Questions people ask
What issues does Melissa help with?
She supports people dealing with stress, anxiety, depression, grief, relationship and intimacy problems, eating and sleeping issues, parenting and career concerns, ADHD, bipolar mood concerns, and trauma or abuse.
What is her therapeutic style like?
Her style is warm and engaging and emphasizes collaboration. Sessions focus on listening first, then matching tools and exercises to each person’s needs.
How much clinical experience does she have?
She has 13 years of experience working in counseling settings with a range of concerns including family dynamics, trauma, sexual identity, infertility, and parenting issues.
Where is Melissa licensed and based?
Melissa holds the Licensed Professional Counselor credential and is licensed in Pennsylvania and New Jersey as an 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?
She meets with clients through video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging to suit different needs and schedules.
How are sessions priced?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability; sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
How do I begin working with her?
Start by selecting the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and then schedule according to the therapist’s availability.
More counselors in Pennsylvania
See all
Stress, Anxiety, Relationship, Self esteem and 2 more
Stress, Anxiety, Relationship, Grief and 2 more
Stress, Anxiety, Relationship, Trauma and abuse and 2 more
Relationship, Family, Parenting and 2 more
Is this your profile?
Ask us to correct details or take the page down.