About Melissa
Melissa McMahon is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) working in Pennsylvania with 25 years of experience. She helps people facing anxiety, depression, grief, trauma, and stress. Parents and individuals often reach out for help with attention and concentration concerns, relationship and family challenges, and struggles with sleep or eating.
Melissa takes a practical, person-focused approach. She listens first to understand what matters most to each person. From there she and the client pick skills and strategies that fit daily life and specific goals.
How Melissa works
Sessions are adapted to the individual rather than forcing one method on everyone. She draws on client-centered therapy to keep the person’s priorities central, cognitive behavioral therapy to identify thinking patterns and change unhelpful behaviors, and dialectical behavior therapy for building emotion regulation and coping skills. Melissa explains techniques in straightforward terms and practices them with clients during sessions.
Her style is warm and nonjudgmental. She encourages honest feedback about what feels comfortable and what is working. People who want a collaborative, down-to-earth therapist often find her easy to talk with.
Melissa believes change starts with small steps and steady support. She focuses on strengths and practical tools so people can handle daily stresses, navigate major life changes, and rebuild after loss or trauma.
Melissa lists 3 ways of working on the entry:
What Melissa works with
The areas below are the ones Melissa selected when setting up a profile. The first few are listed as the main focus; the rest are also named.
Also listed
- Abandonment
- Addictions
- ADHD
- Adoption and foster care
- Anger management
- Antisocial personality
- Attachment issues
- Autism and Asperger Syndrome
- Avoidant personality
- Bipolar disorder
- Codependency
- Communication problems
- Compassion fatigue
- Control issues
- Coping with life changes
- Dependent personality
- Depression
- Divorce and separation
- Eating disorders
- Family conflicts
- Family of origin issues
- Family problems
- Forgiveness
- Guilt and shame
- Impulsivity
- Intellectual disability
- Intimacy-related issues
- Jealousy
- LGBT
- Mood disorders
- Narcissism
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Paranoia
- Parenting issues
- Personality disorders
- Post-traumatic stress
- Prejudice and discrimination
- Process addiction (porn, exercise, gambling)
- Relationship issues
- Self esteem
- Self-harm
- Sex addiction
- Sexual assault and abuse
- Sexuality
- Sleeping disorders
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Women's issues
- Young adult issues
Training and background
| Register | LPC |
|---|---|
| Years in practice | 25 |
| Languages | English |
| Session format | Online: video, phone, live chat or messaging |
| Country | Pennsylvania |
Memberships and registers are shown as supplied; they are not licences, and this directory does not verify them.
Online support options
How Melissa’s Approaches Work Online
Client-centered therapy centers on the person's goals and preferences. In this approach the therapist listens closely, reflects what she hears, and helps shape sessions around what matters most to the client. It is useful for people who want a collaborative and respectful space to sort priorities.Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, looks at how thoughts and behaviors influence feelings. Melissa uses simple exercises to identify unhelpful thinking and replace it with actions that reduce anxiety or depression. This approach is commonly used for stress, panic, persistent worry, and low mood.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy, called DBT, teaches practical skills for managing strong emotions and improving relationships. It focuses on distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and better communication techniques useful for people struggling with intense moods or recurring conflicts.
Choosing the right approach is a team effort. Melissa will talk with each person about their needs, goals, and what has or hasn’t helped before. Together they decide which methods to try and adjust the plan as progress is made.
Online sessions offer flexibility and easier access to care. Video calls are good for full conversations and practicing skills together. Phone sessions work when bandwidth is limited or on-the-go check-ins are needed. Live chat and text messaging help with quick reflections, brief coaching, or maintaining momentum between longer sessions. These options make it easier to fit therapy into a busy life while working with a licensed professional.
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Common questions
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A practical next step
Write down two things you would want to be different in six months. That is the most useful thing to bring to a first session, whoever it is with. If you would rather start now than keep reading, online sessions are the quickest route.
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