- Client-centered care
- Trauma-informed tools
- Mindfulness practice
About Melanie
Melanie Reyes is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) based in California who helps people dealing with stress, anxiety, depression, and codependency. She also supports those coping with trauma and abuse, grief, addiction, sleep problems, parenting strain, and major life transitions. Melanie meets people where they are and focuses on practical steps toward feeling more stable and hopeful.
Her approach centers on listening first. Sessions are grounded in client-centered work and include mindfulness practices to help calm the body and mind. Melanie combines those methods with psychodynamic ideas to understand patterns that keep someone stuck. She also uses Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, often called EMDR, with trauma-related concerns.
In the room she emphasizes clear goals and simple skills to use between sessions. She draws on motivational interviewing techniques to help people clarify what they want and find the motivation to change. Her style aims to be compassionate and direct, helping clients notice old patterns and try different ways of coping.
Melanie has practiced for 12 years in California as an LMFT. She works with adults on issues such as attachment struggles, abandonment wounds, blended family stress, caregiving burden, chronic illness, body image, and work-life challenges. Sessions are offered in English and Tagalog.
To begin, visitors choose the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule a session according to therapist availability. The service uses a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
How Melanie’s approaches translate to online work
Client-Centered Therapy focuses on listening closely and following the client’s lead. In practice this means sessions aim to reflect what matters most to the person and build goals from there, which helps with stress, relationship concerns, and self-esteem issues.EMDR is a method used for trauma processing that combines focused memory work with guided bilateral stimulation. It can be helpful for people working through past abuse, post-trauma symptoms, or painful memories that keep getting triggered.
Mindfulness Therapy teaches simple attention practices to reduce reactivity and calm the nervous system. These exercises can be used between sessions to manage anxiety, improve sleep, and reduce overwhelm.
Finding the right approach is a team effort. The therapist will talk with each person about symptoms, goals, and preferences, and then suggest methods to try. That plan can change over time based on what helps most, and clients are invited to give feedback throughout the process.
If you are considering online sessions, confirm the exact session formats before booking since those details are provided during matching. Online work can make scheduling easier and reduce travel time, which helps people fit therapy into busy days. It also allows brief check-ins when energy or time is limited, and supports using mindfulness exercises and EMDR-style processing from wherever you join the session.
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
12+ years
Credentials
California
Languages
English, Tagalog
Frequently asked questions
What kinds of concerns does this therapist support?
Melanie focuses on stress, anxiety, depression, trauma and abuse, codependency, addictions, grief, sleep problems, parenting strain, self-esteem, career concerns, bipolar issues, and coping with life changes.
How would you describe the therapy style and approach?
The work is client-centered and practical, with mindfulness and psychodynamic ideas to notice patterns. Melanie also uses EMDR for trauma and motivational interviewing to help clarify goals.
How much experience does she have?
She has 12 years of clinical experience practicing in California as an LMFT.
Where is the therapist located and what credential do they hold?
The therapist practices in California and is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, listed as LMFT.
Which languages are supported during sessions?
Sessions are offered in English and Tagalog.
Can international clients work with this therapist?
International clients are not currently accepted.
How are fees and payment handled?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability; sessions are provided through a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.
What are the first steps to begin therapy?
Click the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and then schedule according to the therapist's availability.
Profile details come from information the therapist supplied to BetterHelp. Credential and registration rules differ between the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia.