- Client-Centered Therapy
- EMDR for trauma
- Mindfulness practices
About Melanie
Melanie Reyes is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) in California with 12 years of experience. She works with adults carrying stress, anxiety, relationship strain, trauma and abuse, depression, addictions, grief, sleep problems, parenting concerns, low self-esteem, career stress, bipolar disorder, and coping with life changes. She also focuses on compassion fatigue and coaching for practical next steps.
Melanie uses a client-centered approach that keeps the person’s experience central. She incorporates EMDR and mindfulness practices when they fit the work. She draws on motivational interviewing to help people find their own reasons for change. Sessions tend to be conversational and goal-focused rather than lecture-based.
Her background blends psychodynamic ideas with present-focused techniques. That means she pays attention to patterns that developed over time while also teaching skills to handle current situations. She helps people who have experienced abandonment, adoption and foster care issues, attachment concerns, blended family stress, and body image struggles.
She also supports people navigating chronic illness, caregiver stress, cancer, aging and geriatric issues, autism and Asperger Syndrome, and co-morbid mental health challenges. Practical skills for communication, boundaries, and coping are common topics in sessions. Melanie speaks English and Tagalog and sees clients in California.
For people who feel weighed down by guilt or shame, she approaches the feelings directly and looks at how they affect daily life. The emphasis is on understanding what the feelings mean and on learning ways to respond differently over time.
Therapeutic approaches used during online work
Melanie often draws on Client-Centered Therapy and EMDR in her clinical work. Client-Centered Therapy focuses on listening closely and following the client’s lead, which helps with issues like low self-esteem, relationship struggles, and making lifestyle changes. EMDR is a method aimed at processing traumatic memories and the reactions they trigger; it is commonly used for trauma, abuse, and distressing past events.She also uses Mindfulness Therapy, which teaches simple attention and breathing practices to reduce reactivity and improve sleep and coping. These approaches are described plainly in session so clients understand what each method involves and why it might help. Picking the right approach is part of the work together. The therapist and client will discuss goals, preferences, and how each method could fit those aims, then decide collaboratively what to try first.
The original biography did not list which online session formats are offered. Confirm the available formats before booking so you know how sessions will be conducted. Online work can make it easier to fit sessions into a busy week, allow shorter check-ins when needed, and reduce travel time so therapy fits around work, caregiving, or appointments.
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
12+ years
Listed in
California
Languages
English, Tagalog
Frequently asked questions
What kinds of guilt or shame does she support?
She works with guilt and shame tied to relationships, parenting, past trauma, faith, and life choices. The profile lists abandonment, adoption and foster care, and attachment issues among other focus areas.
How does she approach guilt and shame in sessions?
Her style is client-centered and conversational with practical skills added. She may use EMDR or mindfulness when those approaches fit the situation.
What experience does she bring to this work?
She has 12 years of clinical experience working with trauma, grief, addiction, relationship problems, and related concerns.
What are her credentials and where does she practice?
She is a California LMFT and practices in California.
Does she offer sessions in other languages?
Sessions are offered in English and Tagalog.
What session formats are available?
The original biography did not list specific session formats. Please confirm current session options before booking.
How are fees handled?
Cost varies with location and sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
How do I start a first session?
Select the See online therapy options button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule a first session.
Online talk therapy is not emergency care. If you are in danger or thinking about harming yourself, use the crisis numbers.