Melissa Rappaport
MA, LPC

I’m a former elementary school teacher and school guidance counselor with 32 years of experience in education. I am certified in Telemental Health and Child & Adolescent Anxiety Treatment.  I earned a Master of Arts in Professional Counseling (2020) and K-12 School Guidance & Counseling from Siena Heights University (1997).

On a personal note, I’m an avid kayaker, mountain biker, camper, gardener, and lover of nature. I also dabble in home DIY projects. My life’s work has been in providing a warm, judgment-free, and open space where understanding builds and learning to heal begins. I am cheerful, authentic, easy to relate to, with a passion for social justice, diversity, LGBTQ+ equality, and helping clients struggling with issues related to gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, and oppression. My training and lived experience offer a depth of understanding that is unique. I recognize and honor the continued emotional anguish of sexual minorities by understanding the cultures’ experiences with long-term grief, ongoing experiences of discrimination and oppression, and the ongoing feelings of disconnection.

My treatment modalities include Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Unconditional Positive Regard, Client-Centered Therapy, Mindfulness, Self Care and Coping, Internal Family Systems Theory, and Boundaries work. I have years of experience working with children, teens, and adults struggling with anxiety, depression, PTSD, interpersonal difficulties, life transitions, grief, loss, and with individuals who identify as queer, non-binary, gender non-conforming, trans, gay, lesbian, and bisexual. We all deserve a safe space to heal, and I would be honored to help hold that space with you.