Melissa Gallagher, M.Ed, LPC, NCC

Licensed Therapist

Melissa is a Licensed Professional Counselor and a member on the Board of Nationally Certified Counselors. She has nearly 2 decades of experience in the helping profession working with children, teens and adults in various settings, including group homes, psychiatric hospitals, day programs, case management and foster care agencies. 

 During her downtime, Melissa enjoys hiking, going to the mountains and beach, traveling, writing, listening to music, meditating, watching documentaries, reading and spending quality time with family and friends. Melissa has 2 children (a son and a daughter), who she calls her greatest joy and achievement and loves watching laugh, learn and grow. Melissa is an avid animal lover who often jokes that if she ever won the lottery, she would open thousands of sanctuaries.

 Melissa grew up in Northern New Jersey, where she graduated Cum Laude from University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey and Felician College and received a dual degree in Psychiatric Rehabilitation and Psychology. In 2011, Melissa completed her graduate program at William Paterson University, where she received her Master of Education in Mental Health Counseling. 

 Melissa utilizes various therapeutic modalities and techniques with her clients, including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Mindfulness (including meditation and breathing techniques), solution-focused therapy, motivational interviewing and dialectal behavioral therapy. She believes establishing a trusting therapeutic relationship and helping her client feel safe is the most important, as well as occasional humor and lightheartedness to help her client feel at ease. 

 Through both personal and professional experience, Melissa understands how scary it can be to enter therapy and how challenging change can be. She believes that everyone has within them an intrinsic ability to become the best versions of themselves and live the life they deserve and offers a safe place free of judgment where clients can express themselves openly and honestly. Her specializations include ADHD, trauma, anxiety disorders, depression, behavioral issues, familial conflict and women’s issues.