- Emotion-focused work
- Attachment issues
- CBT and ACT
About Melissa
Melissa Strauss is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) practicing in Pennsylvania with 13 years of experience. She works with people facing stress, anxiety, relationship struggles, grief, low self-esteem, depression, and trauma. Melissa also supports those dealing with intimacy issues, eating and sleeping concerns, parenting stress, career questions, bipolar disorder, and ADHD.
She uses Emotionally-Focused Therapy alongside Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, attachment-based approaches, client-centered methods, and cognitive behavioral techniques. Sessions focus on naming emotions, recognizing patterns, and building concrete skills for daily life. Conversations are practical and aimed at small, useful changes rather than long lectures.
Melissa pays attention to how relationships and early attachment experiences shape current reactions. She helps people look at family of origin issues, blended family dynamics, communication problems, and caregiver stress. Topics such as body image, fertility and fatherhood concerns, gender dysphoria, and isolation are also included in her work.
The therapist offers clients straightforward options for addressing shame, guilt, control issues, and problems around eating and food. She brings a client-centered stance that respects the person’s perspective while using structured tools when they help. Her approach blends emotion-focused exploration with practical steps clients can try between sessions.
People who want to combine attention to feelings with concrete skills often find this mix useful. Melissa encourages clients to set clear goals and to check in about what is or isn’t working as therapy progresses.
How Melissa applies EFT, ACT and attachment work online
Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT) helps people name and track strong emotions and the patterns they create in relationships. It can be useful for people who get stuck in repeated conflicts or who have trouble expressing what they feel. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) focuses on noticing thoughts and feelings without getting swept away, then taking actions that match personal values. That approach is helpful for anxiety, avoidance, and life transitions. Attachment-Based Therapy looks at early relationship patterns and how they affect current behavior, which can help with communication and closeness in adult relationships.Choosing an approach is collaborative. Melissa will talk with each person about goals, preferences, and what feels useful. She often blends methods so sessions match the problem at hand and the client’s comfort with emotional work or skill practice.
The biography does not specify which online session formats are offered, so confirm the available options before booking. Online sessions can make it easier to fit therapy into a busy day, reduce travel time, allow shorter check-ins, and offer alternatives if leaving work or home is difficult. Licensed professionals can use these formats to continue work on emotion recognition, behavior experiments, communication skills, and values-based actions without asking clients to change their daily routines.
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
13+ years
Listed in
Pennsylvania, New Jersey
Languages
English
Frequently asked questions
What concerns does she address?
She works with stress, anxiety, depression, relationship and intimacy issues, grief, trauma, self-esteem, eating and sleeping problems, parenting concerns, bipolar disorder, ADHD, and related matters.
What is her therapeutic approach and style?
Melissa uses Emotionally-Focused Therapy alongside Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, attachment-based work, client-centered methods, and CBT. She combines emotion-focused exploration with practical skills and goal-setting.
How much experience does she have?
She has 13 years of clinical experience working with individuals, couples, and families in counseling roles.
What are her credentials and where is she based?
She is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) licensed in Pennsylvania with practice based in that state.
Which languages are supported and can international clients connect?
Sessions are offered in English and Melissa accepts international clients.
What session formats are offered?
The biography does not list specific session formats. Confirm current session options before booking to know which formats are available.
How does pricing work?
Cost varies by location and sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
How do I begin working with her?
Select the See online therapy options button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule a first session.
Profile details come from information the therapist supplied to BetterHelp. Credential and registration rules differ between the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia.