Grief counselors and therapists in Ohio

I am a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor in Ohio, dedicated to helping individuals break old cycles and reclaim their peace. Since 2018, I have provided specialized mental health therapy across diverse settings, including college-based community mental health with BIPOC programming, inpatient addiction care, and private practice. I am an in-network provider with many insurance companies, including Providence Health Plan through the Headway network. My practice focuses heavily on supporting women, students, individuals experiencing various life transitions, and those, who are exhausted from people-pleasing, overcommitting, and ignoring their own boundaries. Together, we work to heal past and present wounds to build a deep, lasting foundation of self-trust and self-love.

20+ years helping youth, adults and families work through grief and trauma, restore relationships, and build healthier thought and behavior patterns. Specializing in helping clients in transition or facing a dilemma.

Licensed Counselor & Certified Coach with lived experience as Ohio Hall of Fame DI basketball player & coach, espn color analyst, C-level corporate executive, non-profit leader, cancer survivor, later in life adoptive parent, and member of multi-racial family.

Hola. Bem-vinda! I am originally from Brazil and have been living in the United States for 40 years which means I understand, deeply, what it means to carry more than one world inside you. I hold a Master of Arts in Community Counseling from John Carroll University and have been in private practice since 2010. In that time, I have had the privilege of working with adults from their twenties through their nineties, walking alongside them through anxiety, depression, relationship distress, and grief and loss. I conduct sessions in English, Spanish, and Portuguese, whichever language lets you speak most honestly.

I'm a therapist and Air Force veteran who has spent 9 years helping young people and adults work through anxiety, trauma, and life's harder chapters. I know what it means to

carry things you don't have words for yet. Whether you're a teenager navigating something new or a veteran carrying old weight, you belong here. I'd love to connect.

You don't have to have everything figured out to start. Many people who reach out are carrying grief, anxiety, depression, or the weight of trauma, and they just need somewhere safe to bring it. I'm Melissa, an LPCC with nearly 15 years of experience, including over a decade in inpatient psychiatric settings. That background taught me how resilient people really are. I work with adults navigating PTSD, women's issues, life difficulties, and more. I'd love to be part of your journey.

I am from a rural area in Ohio. I have a master's degree in social work with primary focus on trauma, LGBTQ+, and individual and couples therapy (couples therapy is private pay only, effective 08/25/2026). I have lived experience as a survivor of trauma and as part of the LGBTQ+ community. I have worked in the field of social work for over 27 years, primarily regarding trauma. I have worked with children, adults, seniors, couples, and families.

I have nearly 30 years of experience in private practice, and I bring a warm, down-to-earth style to the work I do with adults and older adults. I earned my bachelor's degree in Psychology and my master's degree in Counseling Education from Ohio University, and I have spent my career helping people navigate anxiety, depression, grief, life stressors, and women's issues. Many of the clients I work with are used to being the one everyone else counts on, even when their own needs have gone unheard. My goal is to offer practical, compassionate support that helps you feel more steady, understood, and confident as you move through whatever season of life you are facing.

Reaching out for therapy can feel intimidating — especially if you’re afraid of being judged, misunderstood, or unsure whether therapy will actually help. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, anxious, emotionally exhausted, stuck in unhealthy patterns, or like you’re barely holding things together on the outside, you’re not alone.

My approach is warm, direct, practical, and collaborative. I help clients not only process emotions, but also understand why certain patterns keep happening and how to create meaningful, lasting change. Together, we focus on building emotional awareness, healthier coping skills, nervous system regulation, and stronger relationships.

Many of my clients struggle with anxiety, perfectionism, emotional overwhelm, relationship stress, attachment wounds, self-esteem issues, or difficulty managing intense emotions. I work to create a space where clients feel safe, supported, understood, and empowered to move forward with greater clarity and confidence.

If any of this resonates with you, I’d be honored to support you in your healing process.

I am open and honest with all my clients. I have an LISW and have work in the mental health field since I was 21, starting with working in direct care in a child residential facility, to a Workshop for intellectually disabled adults, assistant to psychologist who performed psychological testing, to 4 years as a therapist. Personally I am married with 2 wonderful children and prefer to read novels on my free time.