Melissa Taylor, LMFT
Melissa Taylor, LMFT, MS is a very enthusiastic and compassionate professional that believes in the power of combining counseling and physical activity when working through personal issues. As a licensed marriage and family therapist, Melissa works through family system issues that may influence a person’s current life situation, most especially, helping couples navigate relationship issues, and individual areas of concern such as emotional and psychological distress and instability. As individuals coming together into a family, each person has often grown up with different family dynamics, viewed many family relationships and observed different ways of communicating that influence present time connections including and how we cope with issues. Family patterns, and relationship types exist, so Melissa therapy approach is to help each part of the couple to self identify and understand those patterns. It is by using this insight that the couple and therapist work together for adopting new interventions for how they can influence the outcomes of their current troubling problems. Melissa has helped facilitate healing and peace for years with adults, couples, families and adolescents that have been abused, abandoned, felt depression and anxiety, or struggle with the myriad of issues facing their current relationships. Melissa is an expert in providing quality and competent care in working with individuals, couples and families that are dealing with past and current difficulties. She encourages an array of self-care practices through counseling and even physical exercise to build self-esteem, trust, communication and coping skills, to improve their own lives. Melissa is a psychoanalytic therapist that also provides CBT and other family system theories in her work. She encourages clients to trust her and themselves in the counseling process to work together towards healing and personal goals.
Melissa has lived in multiple states to complete her education and build her career while learning different cultures. She received her Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology at the University of Kentucky, and completed her Master’s Degree in Marriage and Family Therapy at Drexel University in Philadelphia. She also had the privilege of completing a Master’s degree in Kinesiology at LSU in Baton Rouge, which allows her to integrate physical activity for clients in their therapeutic treatment process. She has provided therapy in Kentucky, Indiana, Louisiana, Texas and now Pennsylvania. She has worked with Rape Crisis Centers, FQHC’s, Inpatient and Outpatient locations, integrated healthcare centers, and group practices. Melissa has experience in different levels and types of mental health care and has learned how mental health symptoms affect all populations.
Melissa recently moved to Pittsburgh from Texas and enjoys exploring her new city with her husband and two young children. Melissa describes herself as an anti-technology traditionalist. She loves the earth, and any opportunity to play, love, and teach her children. She also enjoys playing sports and incorporating wellness to her family by teaching her children Zumba and other exercises. The second best part of exercise comes afterward when they all get together and cook or even bake. Melissa is very energetic and is always seeking new experiences for herself and her family.