Melissa Dawicki, LPC

Melissa Dawicki is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) with 17 years of behavioral health experience. She has worked across community mental health, emergency room settings, private practice, and telehealth, helping individuals and families navigate issues such as depression, anxiety, stress and anger management, relationship concerns, grief, self-esteem struggles, sleep problems, career stress, bipolar disorder, compassion fatigue, and coping with life changes.

Melissa begins care by building rapport and understanding each person’s priorities, offering encouragement and practical support as clients take the first steps toward change. She draws on Person-Centered approaches along with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Mindfulness techniques, and Solution-Focused strategies to tailor sessions to individual needs. She welcomes feedback and adjusts direction based on what is working for the person in therapy.

Melissa is licensed to practice as an LPC in South Carolina, West Virginia, and Maine. She asks new clients to complete emergency contact information before beginning work together and reviews informed consent and mandated reporting requirements as part of the intake process. Melissa emphasizes that counseling requires commitment and that meaningful change often takes time and consistent participation.

She is based in South Carolina and works on Eastern Standard Time. Melissa checks messages two to three times per day Monday through Thursday until 4:00 PM. She schedules appointments to avoid double bookings and is available for sessions Monday through Thursday from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM EST, with a lunch break from 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM; she does not see clients after 5:00 PM and does not work on weekends or holidays. Clients have 24/7 access to the messaging room and may write as much as they need; longer posts may take a few days for a full response. To maintain appropriate care, she does not accept cases where substance use or addiction is the chief complaint, and after two no-shows or same-day cancellations she will typically recommend switching to another provider.

Therapeutic Approaches and Online Care

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps people clarify their values and take committed action toward a meaningful life while learning to accept difficult thoughts and feelings rather than getting stuck trying to eliminate them. It is often used for anxiety, stress, and life transitions.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) focuses on identifying and changing unhelpful thinking and behavior patterns. It is practical and skills-based, commonly used for depression, anxiety, and mood regulation.

Client-Centered Therapy emphasizes empathy, respect, and collaboration; the therapist creates a supportive environment in which the person’s own goals and pace guide the work. This approach supports self-exploration, relationship concerns, and building self-esteem.

Melissa approaches finding the right method as a collaborative process. She works with each person to determine which techniques or combination of approaches align best with their needs, goals, and preferences, and she adapts plans over time as progress and priorities evolve.

Online therapy with Melissa is offered via video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging, giving flexibility to fit sessions into a busy life. These options make it easier to access care from home or another convenient location, allow for scheduling across different days and times, and support ongoing communication between appointments when appropriate.