- Years in practice
- 5
- Registration
- BACP
- Languages
- English
- Focus
- Stress, Anxiety
- Focus
- Relationship issues
- Focus
- Family conflicts
About Melissa
Melissa Foster is a BACP counsellor with five years of experience helping people find steadiness during stressful times. She aims to make starting therapy simple and approachable for anyone feeling overwhelmed by anxiety, relationship strain, grief, or parenting pressures. She offers a calm, non-judgemental space where clients can talk through what feels hard.
Sessions focus on what each person needs in the moment, whether that is emotional support, clearer thinking, or practical coping steps.
Background and approach
Melissa listens closely and adapts her way of working to suit each person. Her background includes Level 5 training in psychotherapeutic counselling, which supports deeper therapeutic work when it is needed. She combines that training with person-centred listening to keep sessions grounded and practical.
Melissa draws on a few different methods depending on the issue. Cognitive behavioural techniques are used to spot and change unhelpful thinking patterns. Solution-focused ideas help set short-term goals and try small changes that can make daily life easier.
People come to her for many concerns including stress, family and relationship problems, self-esteem, life changes, grief, career concerns and parenting. She also works with issues such as attachment, abandonment, blended family dynamics, fertility and infidelity. Her style is collaborative, practical and paced to each person’s needs.
What Melissa works with
Everything Melissa lists, in their own terms. Parenting is the reason this directory exists; the rest shows what else Melissa helps people with.
- Stress, Anxiety
- Relationship issues
- Family conflicts
- Self esteem
- Coping with life changes
- Grief
- Parenting issues
- Career difficulties
- Abandonment
- Attachment issues
- Avoidant personality
- Blended family issues
- Cancer
- Commitment issues
- Communication problems
- Divorce and separation
- Emptiness
- Family problems
- Fatherhood issues
- Fertility issues
- Forgiveness
- Infidelity
- Jealousy
- Life purpose
- Midlife crisis
- Money and financial issues
- Phobias
- Pregnancy and childbirth
- Self-love
- Sexuality
- Women's issues
- Workplace issues
- Young adult issues
Approaches Melissa lists
- Client-Centred Therapy
- Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
- Psychodynamic Therapy
- Solution-Focused Therapy
Listing an approach is not evidence of training in it. This directory copies what each counsellor names and does not check training records.
Therapeutic approaches and online sessions that fit your life
Melissa uses client-centred therapy to create a space where people are listened to without judgement and can steer the pace of their own work. This approach helps when someone needs emotional validation and a place to make sense of difficult feelings.She also uses cognitive behavioural therapy, which focuses on spotting unhelpful thoughts and trying practical steps to change them. CBT can be helpful for anxiety, stress and repetitive negative thinking because it breaks problems into manageable parts.
Finding the right approach is part of the work together. Melissa will talk through goals, try different techniques and adapt methods based on what is helpful and what feels manageable. This is a collaborative process rather than a fixed plan.
Online sessions are available by video call, phone, live chat or text-based messaging to suit different routines. Video calls allow face-to-face conversation; phone sessions can be easier when bandwidth is limited or for a quick check-in. Live chat and messaging work well for shorter reflections or when someone prefers typing over speaking. These options make it easier to fit counselling around work, childcare and other commitments.
Questions people ask about Melissa
What problems does Melissa support?
She works with stress, anxiety, relationship and family concerns, self-esteem, grief, career issues and parenting challenges, plus related topics such as attachment, infertility and infidelity.
How would she approach my difficulties?
Her style is person-centred and collaborative. She combines listening with practical tools from cognitive and solution-focused approaches to help people try small changes.
How much experience does she have?
Melissa has five years of experience supporting people with a range of emotional and life concerns.
What are her credentials and where is she based?
She is a member of the BACP, which stands for the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, and she practises in the United Kingdom.
Which languages and countries are supported?
Sessions are offered in English and she does not accept international clients at this time.
In what formats are sessions offered?
She offers video calls, phone sessions, live chat and text-based messaging to suit different needs and schedules.
How much do sessions cost?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability; sessions are provided via a subscription model that can be cancelled at any time.
What do I need to do to begin?
Start by selecting the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and then schedule sessions according to the therapist's availability.
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