Melinda Best, BACP

Melinda Best welcomes people facing difficult crossroads in midlife and other major life shifts. She focuses on clear, practical help for issues like addictions, relationships and low self-esteem. Melinda writes in a straightforward way and aims to make the first step feel manageable. She holds BACP, which is the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, and brings 16 years of professional experience.

Melinda works from the belief that each person knows their own story best. She listens without judgment and helps people notice the strengths they already have. Sessions tend to be collaborative, with simple steps to try between meetings and room to talk things through at a steady pace.

Her approach draws on client-centred ideas and cognitive behavioural methods to make thoughts and behaviours easier to understand. Mindfulness and somatic techniques are used when helpful to reconnect the body and mind. Motivational interviewing supports people trying to change habits, including drug and alcohol concerns.

She has supported people with caregiver stress, chronic illness and the loneliness that often comes with life transitions. Melinda also helps with commitment worries, communication problems and repairing trust after infidelity. Her work includes coaching skills for professionals who want clearer goals and better follow-through.

Melinda practices in the United Kingdom and works in English. She aims to make sessions practical and down to earth, helping people build momentum toward a more satisfying life.

How her approaches translate to online work

Client-Centred Therapy places the person's experience at the centre of sessions and helps build a stronger sense of agency. It is useful when someone needs a space to make sense of feelings and choices. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) focuses on identifying unhelpful thoughts and testing new behaviours in everyday life, which can be helpful for low mood, anxiety and motivation problems. Mindfulness Therapy encourages simple attention practices to reduce rumination and increase calm, often by teaching short exercises to use between sessions.

Finding the right mix of approaches is part of the work. The therapist will talk with each person about what feels most useful and will adapt techniques to fit the individual's goals and preferences. This is a collaborative process so methods may change as progress is made.

If you are considering online sessions, confirm the exact session formats before booking because the biography does not list them. Online work can make it easier to fit therapy into a busy week, reduce travel time and allow shorter check-ins when needed. It also makes it simpler to try techniques at home between meetings and to bring real-life situations into sessions for practical problem solving.