About Melissa
Melissa Reighn is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) practicing in New York with 15 years of experience. She focuses on helping people manage stress, anxiety, trauma and abuse, and mood challenges. She also supports people facing parenting strain, attention concerns, eating issues, and bipolar disorder.
She begins by listening to each person’s story and identifying strengths they already have. Sessions are practical and straightforward. Melissa helps people set small goals and build skills that fit into daily life.
How Melissa works
Her background includes work with trauma and grief, and she uses approaches that address both current problems and past events. She draws on methods that help reduce distress, change unhelpful patterns, and increase valued action. The work can include talking through difficult memories, practicing new ways of thinking, and trying brief exercises between sessions.
People who come to her usually want down-to-earth guidance rather than jargon. She aims to make therapy feel manageable and doable. Progress is often measured in clearer routines, fewer overwhelming moments, and better coping on tough days.
Melissa offers sessions that fit different schedules and needs. She can meet by video call, phone, live chat, or text-based messaging so people can choose what works best for them. To begin, prospective clients follow a short matching process and then schedule a session.
Melissa lists 6 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.
- Stress, Anxiety
- Trauma and abuse
- Parenting issues
Also listed
- ADHD
- Aging and geriatric issues
- Bipolar disorder
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Chronic pain, illness, and disability
- Codependency
- Communication problems
- Divorce and separation
- Domestic violence
- Drug and alcohol addiction
- Eating disorders
- Family problems
- First responder issues
- Guilt and shame
- Immigration issues
- Intellectual disability
- Mood disorders
- Narcissism
- Post-traumatic stress
- Postpartum depression
- Prejudice and discrimination
- Process addiction (porn, exercise, gambling)
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Self esteem
- Sexual assault and abuse
- Traumatic brain injury
- Women's issues
Training and background
| Register | LMHC |
|---|---|
| Years in practice | 15 |
| Languages | English |
| Session format | Online: video, phone, live chat or messaging |
| Country | New York |
Memberships and registers are shown as supplied; they are not licences, and this directory does not verify them.
Online support options
Approaches that translate well to online therapy
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps people notice unhelpful thoughts and choose actions that match their values. It can be useful for stress, anxiety, and getting unstuck from avoidance. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) focuses on the link between thoughts, feelings, and behaviors and teaches clear skills to reduce symptoms and change unhelpful patterns. That approach often helps with anxiety, mood issues, and eating concerns. Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) addresses distress from traumatic memories using structured recall and processing; it can reduce the intensity of trauma-related reactions.Finding the right approach is part of the work. The therapist will talk with each person about goals and preferences and suggest which methods to try. That decision is collaborative and can change as needs shift over time.
Online sessions are offered by video call, phone, live chat, or text-based messaging to give practical flexibility. Video calls allow face-to-face conversation and visual cues. Phone sessions can be a good fit when bandwidth is limited or a shorter check-in is needed. Live chat and text messaging work for brief updates, immediate check-ins, or when writing feels easier than speaking. These options make it simpler to fit therapy into a busy life and maintain continuity between appointments.
Start online instead of waiting
Our partner service asks a few questions about what you are looking for and matches you with a therapist for sessions from home.
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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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