Treatment Approach: Person-Centered, Strengths-Based, Solution-Focused, CBT, and DBT
Specialties and Area of Focus: Anxiety, Depression, Emotional Regulation, Life Transitions, Stress Management, and Neurodivergence skills and issues
Populations: Children, Adolescents, Teens, Young Adults; LGBTQIA+ Affirming, Neurodiverse
Insurance and Rates: Aetna, United Health Care, Mental Health Consultants, Horizon, Tricare, Quest; Private Pay $150
Melanie is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Social Work from Monmouth University, where she focused her graduate training on clinical practice. Since beginning her work in the mental health field in 2019, Melanie has supported children, teens, and young adults through a wide range of challenges, including anxiety, depression, emotional regulation, life transitions, stress management, and neurodivergence.
Melanie uses a blend of Person-Centered, Strengths-Based, Solution-Focused, CBT, and DBT approaches to create a warm, collaborative, and relational therapy experience. Her style is playful, authentic, and grounded in the belief that healing happens through connection. Clients can expect a non-judgmental and supportive space that empowers them toward self-discovery, self-acceptance, and personal growth.
In sessions, Melanie meets each client where they are, honoring their story and strengths while building trust and rapport. She integrates creativity, mindfulness, play-based interventions, art, and humor to promote engagement, insight, and emotional regulation. She is affirming of LGBTQIA+ identities and has a deep appreciation for working with neurodiverse individuals.
Melanie’s passion for the field stems from a lifelong desire to understand others, connect with their stories, and witness their growth. She finds the greatest meaning in helping clients show up as their most authentic selves and supporting them along their unique healing journey.
Outside the therapy room, Melanie enjoys trying new foods, crafting, listening to podcasts, and cuddling with her mini goldendoodle. Her self-care practices include nourishing meals, daily gentle movement, and lots of laughter.
Two quotes that guide her therapeutic presence are:
"To be with another person in such a way that you can feel with them, to enter into their world, to understand their experience from their point of view, is one of the most healing and transformative things we can offer." – Carl Rogers
and
“I believe that every human being has within them the ability to grow, develop, and flourish, but it’s important to let them do it in their own way and in their own time.” — Mr. Fred Rogers