- Stress and anxiety
- Substance use support
- Communication skills
About Melanie
Melanie Livingston is an LPC (Licensed Professional Counselor) with five years of clinical experience in Pennsylvania. She sees people who are dealing with stress, anxiety, depression, addictions, family concerns, and major life changes, including issues like abandonment, attachment problems, and body image struggles.
Melanie focuses on practical steps people can use day to day. She helps clients learn clearer communication and healthier coping skills. Sessions often include straightforward exercises and real-life practice to manage panic, reduce avoidance, or handle relationship tension.
Her work draws on well-known, evidence-based techniques. Melanie commonly uses cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectical behavioral therapy, motivational interviewing, and harm reduction strategies to address thinking patterns, emotional regulation, and substance use. She also incorporates person-centered ideas to keep conversations grounded in the client’s perspective.
Appointments typically involve setting small, achievable goals. Melanie guides clients through skill-building and gives simple tools to try between sessions. She discusses progress in plain terms and adjusts plans when something isn’t working.
Melanie provides services in English and practices in Pennsylvania. Getting started involves a brief matching questionnaire and scheduling a first session. The payment model uses a cancellable subscription that varies with location.
Evidence-informed approaches and online sessions
Melanie often works with cognitive behavioral therapy and dialectical behavioral therapy. Cognitive behavioral therapy looks at how thoughts, feelings, and behaviors connect and uses simple experiments and practice to change unhelpful patterns. Dialectical behavioral therapy teaches concrete emotion regulation and distress-tolerance skills useful for intense emotions and relationship strain.She pairs these methods with motivational interviewing and harm reduction when substance use is part of the concern. Motivational interviewing helps people clarify what matters to them and build motivation for change. Harm reduction focuses on practical steps to reduce the negative effects of use rather than insisting on a single outcome.
Finding the right approach is collaborative. Melanie reviews goals and the concerns you bring, then suggests techniques to try together. If something doesn’t fit, she adjusts the plan based on the client’s needs and preferences.
Confirm current session options before booking, as formats are not listed here. Online sessions can make it easier to fit therapy into a busy life, shorten travel time, and allow for shorter check-ins when needed. They also let people practice skills between sessions in their usual environments, which many clients find useful.
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Additional focus areas
Experience
5+ years
Listed in
Pennsylvania
Languages
English
Frequently asked questions
What kinds of concerns does she help with?
Melanie supports people with stress, anxiety, depression, addictions, family difficulties, and coping with life changes. She also addresses issues like attachment, abandonment, body image, and communication problems.
What is her therapeutic style like?
Her style is practical and skills-focused, with an emphasis on clear communication and day-to-day coping strategies. Sessions include exercises and personal goal setting.
How much experience does she have?
She has five years of experience working as a counselor and has used her approach with people facing trauma, grief, and significant life changes.
What are her credentials and where is she based?
She holds the LPC credential and practices in Pennsylvania.
Which languages are supported?
Sessions are offered in English.
Can people outside the US work with her?
She does not accept international clients at this time.
How are sessions paid for?
Sessions use a subscription payment model that can be canceled at any time and that varies with location.
How do I begin the process?
Start by selecting the See online therapy options button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and then schedule a first session.