Melanie Dente, LPCC, LMHC

Melanie Dente is a licensed counselor working in Ohio. She holds LPCC and LMHC credentials and brings six years of clinical experience to her practice. Melanie focuses on helping people manage stress, anxiety, trauma and abuse, depression, low self-esteem, and related life challenges.

She uses straightforward, skills-based work to help people test thoughts that cause trouble and learn better ways to handle strong emotions. Melanie often teaches coping skills so people can build a toolbox they use between sessions. She also helps clients improve communication and identify supportive people in their lives.

Her background includes a long history supporting survivors of trauma and people dealing with mood and anxiety concerns. She blends practical approaches such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, and trauma-focused work to match each person’s needs. Sessions are collaborative and focused on measurable steps toward goals.

Melanie asks clients to practice new skills outside of sessions and to notice small changes along the way. She provides challenge and encouragement in equal measure, pointing out progress as it happens. The aim is to help people reduce distress, increase coping, and move toward the life they want.

People who choose Melanie can expect a direct, compassionate style and an emphasis on concrete strategies. She invites prospective clients to consider what they want to change and to start by answering a brief matching questionnaire.

How trauma-informed and skills-based approaches work online

Melanie commonly uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing to guide online work. CBT focuses on noticing and testing unhelpful thoughts and practicing new behaviors to reduce anxiety and depression. EMDR is a trauma-focused method that helps process distressing memories and reduce their emotional intensity.

She also integrates Dialectical Behavior Therapy skills for managing strong emotions and building distress tolerance when needed. These approaches are presented collaboratively: the therapist and client decide together which methods match the client’s goals, symptoms, and preferences, and they adjust the plan as progress is made.

Online sessions are offered through video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging to fit different needs. Video calls allow face-to-face interaction for skills practice and EMDR work, phone sessions can work when bandwidth is low, and chat or messaging are useful for brief check-ins or homework support. The variety of formats makes it easier to fit therapy into a busy schedule and to keep practicing skills between meetings.