Melissa Milbert Counseling Services
I am not what happened to me, I am what I choose to become
~Carl Jung, founder of analytical psychology
No man is an island
~ John Donne, English poet
Melissa's diverse experience had lead her to focus on the importance of contentedness of relationships in fostering personal and spiritual growth in her clients. At the core, Melissa's goal is to help each person find the freedom that comes with pursuing wellness in every area of life. She strives to help people find a place of well being that goes beyond the sense of disease or illness but to a place of thriving state of health and balance.She has worked at various levels of mental health care including outpatient therapy, inpatient hospitalization, and residential treatment since 2005. In residential treatment, she worked with adolescents with behavioral difficulties and mental illness. While working in a psychiatric hospital, Melissa provided individual support and group therapy for adults, adolescents, children and their families who have struggled with disordered eating. She worked with children and their families who have struggle with anxiety and sleep disturbances in a university research setting. Her understanding of the connection between the mind and body was furthered while working in a medical hospital helping children, adolescents, and young adults with gastrointestinal disorders or sleep problems. These experiences have provided advanced knowledge in treating, not only eating disorders and anxiety but depression, sleep problems, trauma, body image disturbance, life transitions, communication difficulties, self esteem, chronic pain and other medical conditions. She has advanced training in non-pharmaceutical interventions, CBT for Insomnia and trauma, including EMDR.
Melissa practices an eclectic approach to therapy that varies according to the needs off each individual. From a trauma informed perspective she uses Cognitive Behavioral, EMDR, Ego State, Dialectical, and behavioral techniques to promote stability and wellness. Melissa's passion for helping people though psychology and promoting wellness began when she was in high school and continued to grow as she pursed her studies at Pittsburgh's Duquense University where she eared her bachelor's degree in psychology and theology. She continued honing her skills and building upon her expertise in counseling at Carlow University where she earned a master's degree in Professional Counseling. She is a certified in cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia, EMDR and a nationally board certified counselor who holds a license in the state of Pennsylvania. Melissa currently works primary with people that have experienced trauma, complex post traumatic stress disorder (CPTSD), dissociate disorders and attachment struggles.
Melissa volunteered with the National Board of Certified Counselors at Jigme Dorji Wangchuck National Referral Hospital as a counselor and Khesar Gyalpo Medical Sciences University as a lecturer May-December of 2017 in the country of Bhutan. This amazing developing nation has a fairly new conceptualization of mental health, limited counseling services and just one psychiatric hospital. Melissa quickly fell in love with the people of Bhutan and their land. She returned to Bhutan to join the faculty of the medical sciences university (FNPH KGUMBS) in June of 2018 to teach in the country's first university based mental health training program. While living in southeast Asia, Melissa continues to work with clients in a telethearpy format since 2017. Melissa loves learning and teaching about culture, culture adjustment and cross-cultural mental health.
More about mental health care in Bhutan