Melissa Pacione, LPC

I have been seeing Melissa since 2019 and she has helped me work through so many of my concerns. She has always been very reliable and held my accountable to reaching my goals. I couldn’t recommend her enough!

I definitely did not want to go to therapy. At all. Mainly because 1. Stubborn and 2. The stigma of therapy in the first responder world. After making questionable decisions myself, I forced myself to go. Melissa has definitely changed my perspective on therapy and has quite honestly, made me a better person and cop. She tells you how it is, with no fluff, so aka she talks to you like an actual human. She's a genuine person who not only cares about the person in front of her but continues to help people in the surrounding community. If you're a first responder looking up therapists, just go and get your sht straight.

I am the wife of a first responder who lost their career after an unexpected accident on the job. I took pride in being the strong one. I understood how much he needed me to be. When he finally healed and was able to find a new path, I could breathe again. We made it through the worst of times or so I thought. I didn’t realize that what I thought was me being strong was actually me not acknowledging the reality of the situation and so many other things that were happening in my world. Fast forward a few years and I find myself suffering from PTSD. I found Melissa then and decided to take a chance. I am nearly three years in and have never felt outside of unwavering support and guidance on my journey. She helped me see my strengths and where I needed to grow. She challenged my thinking, valued my thoughts, and pushed me to see myself differently. She knows my struggles, my husband’s, and my kids too because their struggles are mine. I trust her knowledge and guidance wholeheartedly.

My experiences have been nothing compared to the 1 star reviews. I find it hard to believe those reviewers saw the same person. For starters this was a first for me, going into it wasn’t sure what to expect. Melissa was very patient, wasn’t trying to rush my comfort level. Her feed back was very productive. She has given me tools that I feel I was lacking previously. Using those tools has definitely made more productive results me. I look forward to my future sessions, but most importantly the tools and perspectives to become a better version of myself each time.

Melissa is an excellent therapist! She is very professional and flexible with my work schedule. I can tell that she truly values me as a client and I genuinely look forward to our sessions!

I’m a first responder. Long story short, my wife and I were in a terrible wreck (off duty) and were nearly killed by a wrong-way driver. It’s been over a year long recovery for me. I felt like I’d lost part of my identity and livelihood. I was floundering, and didn’t know how to get past this. My wife found Melissa and chose her based on her specialty work with trauma and first responders. I am very glad my wife talked me into going to therapy. Melissa has helped me open up on my feelings & assisted me in identifying & coping with the different traumas that have negatively affected me. Melissa works one on one with both my wife & I to make sure we are both being heard, and then she has joint sessions where we create game plans and implement changes. She is now helping us with other non crash related challenges. Life post-crash continues to be very difficult. But we are very blessed to have come across Melissa & have her as our therapist. Thanks Melissa.-T

She takes the time to listen, think, and give genuine feedback. Sometimes it's hard to hear but she can tell you in a way that comes with support and understanding. The help she provided has made me a better husband, father, and educator. You cannot pour from an empty bucket and now I have enough for myself, my family, and whatever challenges the day brings!

It took me two tries to find a therapist I was comfortable with but so glad I kept looking and didn’t give up on therapy as a whole. I can not recommend high enough!

I can’t imagine a better therapist. I’ve recommended her to friends and family and they all feel the same. She literally helped save my life. Im now stronger and happier than I’ve been my whole life. She’s caring, compassionate, patient, and honest. Btw my brother in law is a former cop and he loves her too.

So disturbed by this so called “therapist”. Constantly bashing first responders for their “type”. Don’t waste your money find someone who actually knows what they’re doing and knows how to do their job. So disappointed.

Saw her a few times then decided to start seeing someone different. My new and current therapist informed me of how misleading paciones advice was. I also felt extremely uncomfortable and judged by her facial expressions when speaking to her the few sessions I had with her. Literally AWFUL.

Extremely unprofessional, felt very overbearing. Seemed to have an attitude