Melinda Best, BACP

Melinda Best supports adults who are ready to change difficult patterns and regain control. She welcomes people struggling with addictions, relationship strain, low self-esteem and those seeking practical coaching for work or life decisions. Melinda works in a straightforward, calm way and helps people take clear next steps.

She uses a mix of client-centred listening and active techniques to fit each person. That means conversations start with what matters to the client and then move into problem-focused work when useful. Cognitive behavioural approaches help with thoughts and behaviours that get in the way, while mindfulness and somatic ideas bring attention to bodily sensations and present-moment coping.

Melinda has 16 years of experience working with these concerns across a range of situations. Her credential is BACP, which stands for the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy. She blends counselling with coaching when people want practical, goal-orientated change.

Sessions are paced to suit each person. Melinda aims for clear goals and straightforward tools people can use between meetings. People often leave sessions with one or two small actions to try before the next time.

Her approach is collaborative and direct. She believes people already carry strengths they can use to make progress, and her role is to help identify those strengths and make realistic plans for change.

How Melinda’s approaches work online

Melinda commonly draws on client-centred work and cognitive behavioural techniques when meeting people online. Client-centred work focuses on listening closely and reflecting what matters to the individual so they can find their own answers; this helps when someone needs space to talk through relationship or life decisions. Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) looks at links between thoughts, feelings and behaviours and offers practical exercises to try between sessions to reduce unhelpful patterns.

Finding the right approach is part of the work together. Melinda will talk through goals, preferences and what has or hasn’t helped in the past. She then adapts methods to match each person’s needs, combining listening, practical tasks and body-aware strategies when appropriate in a collaborative way.

Online formats include video calls, phone sessions, live chat and text-based messaging, which make it easier to fit therapy around work and family life. Video is useful for in-depth conversations and visual cues, phone calls use less bandwidth and can be better for shorter check-ins, while chat or messaging suits quick reflections or ongoing support between sessions. These options help people stay consistent with therapy and try tools in everyday settings.