Melissa Stroup

My style as a therapist is eclectic and energetic. Therapy can be a potent experience, but I am here to help accommodate the tears, toil, frustration, humor and other emotions that you cannot or may not wish to share with others. The world, our jobs, finances, and other obstacles are some of the many things that can zap our valuable mental and physical energy in a day. Burnout is more real now than ever before.

Coming here is a way to recharge yourself so that you can be more present in the most important areas of your life and enjoy it in the process. We work together to develop skills and outlets in which to manage these stressors. You can become the most positive, healthy version of yourself. I welcome the pleasure of working with people from many different cultures and backgrounds, and I am an avid supporter of the LGBTQIA+ community.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, I have been working 100 percent virtually. This direction in therapy has allowed me to interact with more people that are not within my geographical location. When a person is in an environment where they feel most comfortable, they are better able to express themselves.

My source of empowerment comes from my husband and our enjoyment in caring for our animals. We have a good start on a boring zoo.. (dogs, cats, chickens, fish). They are my reason for working from home. For me, being outdoors and caring for animals is very therapeutic as well as rewarding.

Over the course of my experience I have had the pleasure of working with people of all ages, backgrounds, cultures, and identities. I feel this had a big impact in shaping my strengths as a therapist. I emulate compassion, energy, and honesty in my time working with others. Therapy can be a lot and I feel that laughter or light heartedness are also important to a good therapeutic connection!

In our first session together we will go through your intake, assessments and explore what brought you here. Regardless of whether it is your first time or have been here before, it is important to discuss any questions or concerns you have. The more information you provide, the better able we are to put a plan together for our time. I often ask those who have had therapy before about their experience and what people felt were and were not impactful for them during this time so that I am aware. At the end of our first session and throughout consecutive sessions I will check in to make sure the people I work with still feel connected and are benefitting from this experience.