About Melinda
Melinda Best welcomes people who are feeling stuck by addiction, relationship strain, low self-esteem or a lack of direction. She writes simply and plainly to make starting therapy easier. Melinda believes people are the experts on their own lives and that small steps can lead to clearer choices.
She uses a conversational style that focuses on what matters most to each person. Sessions aim to build motivation, strengthen confidence and address communication or family tensions.
How Melinda works
Practical tools and clearer thinking are combined with attention to how the body and emotions interact. Melinda has 16 years of professional experience in the United Kingdom and is registered with BACP, the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy. Over the years she has supported people dealing with drug and alcohol addiction, midlife questions, caregiving strain and chronic health challenges.
Her work also includes executive coaching and helping people find life purpose or repair after infidelity or betrayal. She draws on cognitive behavioural approaches alongside mindfulness and somatic techniques to help people notice unhelpful patterns and try different responses. In sessions she aims to be direct but kind, helping clients set realistic goals and practise new ways of coping.
People who prefer clear steps, straightforward conversation and a focus on strengths may find her approach useful.
Melinda lists 6 ways of working on the entry:
What Melinda works with
The areas below are the ones Melinda selected when setting up a profile. The first few are listed as the main focus; the rest are also named.
- Addictions
- Relationship issues
- Family conflicts
Also listed
- Aging and geriatric issues
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Chronic pain, illness, and disability
- Coaching
- Commitment issues
- Communication problems
- Dissociation
- Drug and alcohol addiction
- Family problems
- Forgiveness
- Guilt and shame
- Infidelity
- Isolation / loneliness
- Life purpose
- Midlife crisis
- Multicultural concerns
- Process addiction (porn, exercise, gambling)
- Self esteem
- Sexuality
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Workplace issues
Training and background
| Register | BACP |
|---|---|
| Years in practice | 16 |
| Languages | English |
| Session format | Online: video, phone, live chat or messaging |
| Country | United Kingdom |
Memberships and registers are shown as supplied; they are not licences, and this directory does not verify them.
Online support options
Therapeutic approaches and online sessions
Melinda commonly uses client-centred work to centre the conversation on what matters to the person in front of her. This approach focuses on listening closely, reflecting back what she hears and helping people find their own solutions to addiction, relationship or life-purpose questions.She also draws on cognitive behavioural therapy, which breaks larger problems into manageable pieces. CBT helps people notice unhelpful thinking and try small behavioural experiments to see what changes help with mood, motivation or communication.
Finding the right approach is part of the work. Melinda will discuss options and help decide what fits your goals and preferences, so the plan is tailored rather than fixed. The process is collaborative and revisited as progress is made.
Online formats include video calls, phone sessions, live chat and text messaging, offering flexibility for different schedules. Video allows more visual connection, phone can be easier when bandwidth is limited, and messaging or chat can suit quick check-ins or ongoing support between sessions. These options make it easier to keep therapy consistent around work, caregiving or health constraints.
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Common questions
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A practical next step
Write down two things you would want to be different in six months. That is the most useful thing to bring to a first session, whoever it is with. If you would rather start now than keep reading, online sessions are the quickest route.
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