Melanie Giarratano, LMHC, LCMHC

Melanie Giarratano is a licensed mental health counselor who blends research-informed understanding with practical clinical experience to support adults, teenagers, children, veterans, people with substance use concerns, and individuals with developmental disabilities. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Neuroscience from the University of Delaware and a Master of Science in Mental Health Counseling from SUNY College at Old Westbury, and she lists LMHC and LCMHC among her credentials, indicating licensure as a mental health counselor.

Her early academic work included extensive PTSD research using animal models, an experience that shaped her appreciation for how traumatic stress can alter fear responses and the ability to extinguish fear. That background informs her current clinical work in inpatient psychiatric settings, where she treats people with complex and severe trauma histories. Across inpatient and outpatient care she has provided both group and individual therapy, with relationship concerns often appearing as a central theme across populations.

Melanie draws on a range of theoretical approaches to tailor treatment to each person. Her graduate training emphasized psychodynamic concepts such as human development, family context, and transference, which she uses to understand clients in the context of their personal histories. She also incorporates motivational interviewing to support goal-oriented change, person-centered techniques to offer empathy and encouragement, solution-focused elements to highlight present and future goals, and cognitive behavioral strategies when clients are prepared to work on thoughts, feelings, and behaviors through exercises like thought logs and behavioral experiments.

In session she emphasizes practical coping skills and the importance of self-care. Outside of work she models balance through activities such as yoga, biking, spending time with friends and family, playing with her dog, going outdoors, and shopping, and she encourages clients to discover routines and activities that promote their own well-being.