Melanie O'Brien
Person-centred counsellor offering calm support
About Melanie
Melanie O'Brien works from a person-centred approach that puts the relationship first. She offers a calm, respectful space where people can talk about what feels hard. Her manner is warm and grounded, and she aims to make the first steps into therapy easier to take.
Melanie focuses on issues such as stress, anxiety, depression, grief and addiction. She also helps people facing challenges with intimacy, eating, self-esteem and coping with life changes.
Background and approach
She supports those dealing with family problems, relationship strain, attachment or abandonment worries, and the impact of trauma and abuse. With five years of experience, Melanie draws on Client-Centred Therapy to guide sessions. The British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy is listed among her credentials as BACP.
She works in English and is based in the United Kingdom. Sessions can be held by video call, phone, live chat or text-based messaging. This range gives options for different needs, whether someone prefers talking on screen, a shorter check-in by message, or a voice call.
Taking the first step involves completing a short matching questionnaire and arranging a session through the site. Melanie aims to move at each person’s pace and to offer gentle, honest reflections that help make sense of difficult feelings.
What Melanie works with
How Melanie works
Listed by Melanie among the ways they work.
Sessions & fees
How client-centred work adapts to online therapy
Client-Centred Therapy focuses on creating a respectful, non-judgemental relationship. The counsellor listens closely, reflects back what is said, and follows the person’s lead to help them make sense of difficult feelings. This approach is helpful for anxiety, depression, grief and issues around self-esteem and intimacy.Melanie uses a person-centred way of working to tailor sessions to what each person needs. That means she will collaborate with clients to choose which methods suit them best, discuss goals and adjust the pace. Deciding on the best approach is part of the therapeutic process and will be shaped by the client’s preferences and what feels most useful.
Online therapy offers practical flexibility. Video calls allow face-to-face conversation when visual cues matter. Phone sessions work well when bandwidth is limited or for a focused check-in. Live chat and text messaging suit shorter updates, reflective writing, or times when typing feels easier than speaking. These options make it simpler to fit counselling around work, care responsibilities and day-to-day life, while keeping the focus on steady progress and honest dialogue.
| Session length | Typically 50 minutes |
|---|---|
| Client ages | Adults, 18 and over |
| Fees | Subscription via BetterHelp, cancel anytime |
| Insurance | Not billed directly |
Questions people ask
What kinds of difficulties can be discussed in sessions?
How would you describe Melanie's therapeutic style?
What experience does she bring to therapy?
Where is Melanie based and what credential does she hold?
Which languages are supported in sessions?
Are online sessions available and in what formats?
How are fees and subscriptions handled?
What do I need to do to begin working together?
Areas of focus
What this therapist works with
Most often
- Stress, Anxiety
- Addictions
- Relationship issues
Also listed
- Abandonment
- Attachment issues
- Body image
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Chronic pain, illness, and disability
- Communication problems
- Control issues
- Coping with life changes
- Depression
- Divorce and separation
- Domestic violence
- Drug and alcohol addiction
- Eating disorders
- Family conflicts
- Family of origin issues
- Family problems
- Forgiveness
- Grief
- Guilt and shame
- Intimacy-related issues
- Isolation / loneliness
- Life purpose
- Mood disorders
- Narcissism
- Parenting issues
- Pregnancy and childbirth
- Self esteem
- Self-love
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Trauma and abuse
- Women's issues
- Workplace issues
Therapeutic approaches
- Experience
- 5 years
- Registered with
- BACP
- Languages
- English
