Melva Hartzog, LPC

Melva Hartzog is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) who helps people manage stress, anxiety, depression, grief, and trauma. She also supports concerns such as relationship and intimacy difficulties, self-esteem, anger, career challenges, ADHD, and issues related to identity and multicultural life. She frames work plainly and aims to make therapy understandable and usable for everyday life.

Her sessions focus on practical change. She draws on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) to identify unhelpful thoughts and shift behaviors that keep problems going. She also uses mindfulness practices to help people stay present and reduce overwhelm. Motivational Interviewing helps when someone feels stuck and needs support finding their own reasons to change.

Melva brings a spiritual perspective for those who want it. She holds a Master of Divinity and can integrate Christian or spiritual themes into conversations when clients ask for that. She emphasizes respect for religious, racial, gender, and sexual diversity in treatment.

She aims to meet people where they are without judgment. Sessions move at a steady, realistic pace and include concrete exercises people can use between meetings. The goal is to build coping skills, clearer thinking, and small steps that add up to real progress.

Melva works with people in Pennsylvania and offers services in English. Her approach combines practical therapy tools with attention to life purpose and values. She encourages clients to find meaning while developing skills to handle day-to-day challenges.

Therapeutic approaches and online care

Melva often uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) to help people identify unhelpful thoughts and change behaviors that maintain stress or anxiety. CBT emphasizes simple exercises and homework to practice new ways of thinking and acting between sessions.

She also uses Mindfulness Therapy to build awareness of the present moment and reduce reactivity to strong emotions. Mindfulness practices are brief and practical, helping with panic, rumination, and overwhelm.

Finding the right approach is part of the work. The therapist and client will discuss needs, goals, and personal preferences to decide which methods to try and how to combine them. That collaborative planning helps tailor sessions to what actually helps the person move forward.

Online formats include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging. Video calls work well for deeper conversations when seeing facial cues matters. Phone sessions can be easier when bandwidth is limited or a shorter check-in is needed. Live chat and messaging allow quicker notes, ongoing check-ins, or flexible daily support without scheduling a full call. These options make it easier to fit therapy into busy lives and different routines.