About Melanie
Melanie Giarratano is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor who brings four years of clinical experience to her practice in New York. She combines practical skills with a warm, straightforward style. Melanie aims to make therapy a place where people can speak freely and learn tools to cope with hard moments.
She earned a Bachelor’s degree in Neuroscience from the University of Delaware and a Master’s degree in Mental Health Counseling from SUNY College at Old Westbury.
Background and approach
Early research into stress and post-traumatic responses shaped how she understands fear and emotional reactivity. That background informs her current work with people who have complex trauma histories. Melanie uses a mix of approaches rather than one fixed method.
She often draws on cognitive behavioral techniques to help people untangle thoughts, feelings, and actions. She also uses motivational interviewing to set clear goals and encourage steady progress. Person-centered and psychodynamic ideas guide how she listens and makes sense of life patterns.
Her aim is to tailor treatment to each person’s needs, using homework and skill practice when someone wants active, skills-based work. She supports self-care and practical steps alongside therapeutic conversation. Sessions focus on everyday problems like stress, anxiety, mood changes, relationship patterns, parenting strain, and difficulties related to attention and behavior.
Melanie communicates in plain language and works collaboratively to set achievable goals. She accepts English-speaking international clients and conducts therapy from New York.
Therapeutic approaches and online care
Melanie often uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to help people identify unhelpful thoughts and change patterns of behavior. CBT involves practical exercises like thought logs and behavior experiments and is useful for anxiety, depression, and mood problems.She also uses Dialectical Behavior Therapy techniques for emotion regulation and distress tolerance. DBT-based skills teach ways to manage intense feelings, reduce impulsive reactions, and improve interpersonal effectiveness.
Finding the right approach is part of the work together. Melanie will talk with each person about goals and preferences, then recommend methods that fit those needs. This is a collaborative process and methods can be adjusted as progress is made.
Online therapy offers flexible ways to connect. Video calls are useful for in-depth sessions where seeing facial cues matters. Phone sessions require less bandwidth and can fit into a workday. Live chat or text-based messaging can work for brief check-ins, ongoing support, or when a written format feels easier to use. These options make it simpler to keep continuity in therapy and fit sessions into a busy life.
Frequently asked questions
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Specialties and expertise
Top specialties
- Stress, Anxiety
- Addictions
- Relationship issues
Also works with
- ADHD
- Anger management
- Attachment issues
- Bipolar disorder
- Communication problems
- Coping with life changes
- Depression
- Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMDD)
- Family conflicts
- Jealousy
- Mood disorders
- Parenting issues
- Self esteem
- Self-love
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Trauma and abuse
- Young adult issues
Therapeutic approaches
- Experience
- 4 years
- Licensed
- New York, Utah
- Languages
- English