Therapist profile
Melissa Strauss, LPC
Licensed Professional Counselor - Relationships and Parenting
Continue with MelissaAbout
- CBT
- Emotion-focused work
- Attachment focus
About Melissa
Melissa Strauss is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) practicing in Pennsylvania with 13 years of experience. She works with adults facing stress, anxiety, relationship strain, parenting challenges, grief, depression, and issues around identity and intimacy. She also addresses concerns such as eating and sleeping problems, ADHD, bipolar mood concerns, and career stress.
Her approach is practical and conversational. She uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Attachment-Based work, Client-Centered methods, and Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT) depending on what a person needs. Sessions focus on clear goals, real-life coping skills, and improving how people connect with others.
Melissa pays attention to family and parenting concerns and helps individuals sort through blended family stress, fatherhood topics, family-of-origin issues, and caregiver strain. She works with people around communication problems, control and boundary issues, body image, fertility-related distress, and gender dysphoria. She also supports people dealing with guilt, shame, isolation, and questions about life purpose.
In sessions she listens for strengths and practical next steps. She helps people notice patterns in their relationships and behavior, practice new ways of responding, and develop strategies to manage mood and anxiety. Conversations may include problem-solving, emotion-focused work, and techniques to shift unhelpful thinking.
To begin, she asks about what matters most and what the person hopes to change. From there she and the client pick approaches that address goals in a straightforward way. Her work aims to make daily life more manageable and relationships clearer.
How sessions work
How Melissa brings therapeutic approaches to online work
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps people notice unhelpful thoughts and choose actions that align with their values. It can be useful when stress, anxiety, or life changes make it hard to move forward. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) focuses on patterns of thinking and behavior; it teaches practical skills to reduce anxiety, improve sleep, and shift mood. Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT) looks at how emotions shape relationships and attachment; it is often used when intimacy and communication are central concerns.Finding the right mix of approaches is part of the work. Melissa collaborates with each person to identify goals, then tries methods that fit those goals and the person’s preferences. She checks in regularly and adjusts the approach if something isn’t helping.
Confirm the current session formats before booking since formats are not specified in the biography. Online work can make it easier to fit sessions into a busy day, reduce travel time, and allow shorter check-ins when needed. It can also let someone join from a quieter space, use audio-only when bandwidth is low, or schedule sessions around caregiving and work commitments. Discussing practical needs helps plan sessions that suit everyday life.
Areas of focus
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
13+ years
Listed in
Pennsylvania, New Jersey
Languages
English
Questions
Frequently asked questions
What concerns does she address?
She supports adults with stress, anxiety, depression, relationship strain, parenting challenges, grief, identity and intimacy-related issues, and related areas listed in her specialties.
What is her therapeutic style?
Her style is practical and conversational. She combines CBT, ACT, Attachment-based and emotion-focused methods to work toward clear goals.
How long has she been practicing?
She has 13 years of experience as a Licensed Professional Counselor working with adults on relationship and family-related concerns.
Where is she licensed and located?
She is an LPC licensed in Pennsylvania and lists practice location as Pennsylvania.
Does she work in languages other than English?
Sessions are offered in English.
Can international clients connect with her?
International clients are accepted; check time zone differences when scheduling.
How are sessions paid for?
Cost varies with location and sessions use a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.
How do I get started?
Click the See online therapy options button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule a first session.
Details come from information the therapist supplied to BetterHelp. A license can be checked with the state board.
Online talk therapy is not emergency care. If anyone is in danger, use the crisis numbers.