Melissa Albano

Hello and welcome to BetterHelp, reaching out to seek counseling is a major step in addressing and managing concerns in your life. I realize how important it is to find a counselor that you can connect with to see progress during challenging times. It is important to establish a healthy relationship to move forward with managing changes in your life. I would like to provide some information about myself and my counseling style, to determine if we would be a good match. I have 20 years of social work experience. I received my masters degree from New York University. My experience working with clients has been managing cases related to anxiety, panic attacks, depression and crisis intervention, substance abuse and domestic violence. I have worked with chronically ill clients and their families to better cope with their ongoing needs. I am passionate and experienced with counseling related to the LGBTQ+ community. My practice style is upfront and honest. I feel establishing a strong working relationship with a client to work effectively to manage concerns. I am compassionate and easy to engage with. We will work together to determine the best approach to address your current concerns. THERAPEUTIC RELATIONSHIP AND SELF-DETERMINATION POLICY One of the ethical values of the Social Work profession is giving each individual the right to self-determination. You have the right to pick your own therapist, so if at any point you feel that we are not a good fit, please let me know so we can address/ try to resolve these issues and get you the right support/ therapist. You can also change counselors by clicking on “change counselors” in the top right of your dashboard- I would encourage you to let me know first so we can formally end our therapeutic alliance. There are times when people feel their needs are met and no longer need this support, I would also encourage you to bring up these discussions with me as they are part of the healing process and ending the therapeutic relationship. I look forward to speaking with you to best determine a method to communicate. I have availability to work via video chat, or phone. I check my email frequently to coordinate a time frame that will meet your needs and provide open availability.