01 · Who Melanie works with

Melanie works with stress, Anxiety, trauma and abuse and grief

Melanie lists 13 specialisms and 18 further focus areas. Specialisms are the subjects Melanie chose to list first, which is the closest a listing gets to “this is my actual practice”.

02 · In Melanie's own words

What Melanie says about the work

Reproduced in full and unedited - not summarised, not tightened, not rewritten in a house voice.

I imagine that if you are here, you are tired of feeling this way.  You may be stuck and unsure how to feel different.  You may have tried so many ideas already and none of them have worked! It takes courage to seek for a more fulfilling and happier life and to take the first steps towards a change. If you are ready to take that step I am here to support and empower you.

I am a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor in California with 10 years of experience working with adults. I utilize a trauma-informed approach and through this lens, can assist you with concerns including stress, anxiety, depression, grief, childhood and adult trauma, Bipolar Disorder, and personality disorders.  My approach to therapy is client-centered, collaborative, and strength-based. You will sense my warmth, passion for my work, and feel seen and heard. I consider it a privilege to come alongside you and support people as they navigate life's many challenges and joys.  I believe that each of us has the inner strength necessary to grow and heal and value the work with clients to find and utilize these strengths.

I earned my Masters Degree from New York University in New York City, and worked many years there in a community mental health clinic  providing therapy to underserved populations.  I have worked in California for many years now, based out of a rural community, where I can find calm and healing in the quiet and trees.

People find me to be compassionate and down to earth, but also able to provide practical skills and interventions. I am skilled in the use of many therapeutic interventions including Cognitive Behavioral therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, EMDR, psychodynamic interventions, motivational interviewing, and mindfulness and meditation.  I am very comfortable working with significant trauma histories and am allied with the LBGTQ community.

I look forward to hearing more of your story and working with you!

Melanie Fikse, on the BetterHelp listing · read 9 Oct 2026

03 · How Melanie works

The 4 approaches Melanie lists, in plain English

These are the clinical methods Melanie lists. The descriptions are Maker Therapy's, not Melanie's - a general explanation of what each method is, so the list means something before you have spoken to anybody. They are not a claim about how Melanie runs a session.

Acceptance and Commitment TherapyACT

Rather than trying to argue a painful thought away, ACT works on loosening its grip and getting on with what matters to you anyway. Sessions spend real time naming your values, then building action around them while difficult feelings are still present.

Client-Centred TherapyPerson-centred · Rogerian

The therapist does not steer toward a technique or a diagnosis. They offer sustained, non-judgemental attention and reflect back what they hear, on the premise that people find their own direction when they are genuinely listened to. Often what people mean by “someone who just gets it”.

Cognitive Behavioural TherapyCBT

Structured, present-focused work on the loop between what you think, how you feel and what you then do. Usually means noticing a thought pattern in the room, testing it against evidence, and practising something different between sessions. Among the most heavily researched talking therapies for depression and anxiety.

Trauma-Focused TherapyTF-CBT · trauma-informed

CBT adapted for people whose difficulty is rooted in a frightening or overwhelming event. Pacing is the point: safety and stabilisation come first, the memory itself is approached gradually and only when you are ready, and the aim is that recalling it stops hijacking the present.

04 · What happens next

From this page to a first session

Melanie practises through BetterHelp, so the route in is BetterHelp's. This is that sequence, written by Maker Therapy from the platform's published process - not a description of Melanie's own practice, and not a promise about how quickly anything happens.

1. A questionnaire, not a booking form

   BetterHelp opens with a set of questions about what you are dealing with, what you want from therapy, and any preferences on the therapist. You are not booking Melanie at this point.

2. Naming Melanie specifically

   BetterHelp matches algorithmically by default, so asking for Melanie is a step you have to take. There is a field for requesting a specific therapist during sign-up, and you can switch afterwards from your account. Starting from a link on this page does not by itself assign you to Melanie.

3. If the caseload is full

   You will be offered somebody else rather than put on a waitlist. Worth knowing, because it is easy to assume a match is the person you asked for.

4. The first conversation

   A first session is typically history and orientation: what brought you, what has been tried, what you want to be different. It is also where the questions in the next section belong.

5. If the fit is wrong

   Changing therapist on BetterHelp does not need a reason. A first session that does not click is common and is not a verdict on therapy. That option existing is the main practical difference between a platform and a private practice.

05 · Before you commit

4 questions worth asking Melanie

Built from what Melanie actually lists, so they are answerable and specific rather than generic. Maker Therapy's, not Melanie's - Melanie has not seen them and is under no obligation to answer any of them.

• “You list both Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and Client-Centred Therapy. Which do you lean on with someone like me?”

  Those two point in different directions - one structured and led by the therapist, the other led by you. The answer tells you what the sessions will actually feel like.

• “How do you decide when someone is ready to work on a traumatic memory itself?”

  Pacing is the biggest safety question in trauma work. A clear, unhurried answer here matters more than any credential.

• “With 15 years in, what has changed most in how you work?”

  Long experience is only an advantage if it has been examined. This tends to surface whether it has.

• “How do you handle the gap between sessions if something comes up?”

  On BetterHelp this varies a great deal by therapist. Better to know the rhythm now than to discover it on a bad week.

06 · Practical details

Credentials and licensing

Credential

LPCC

Licensed in

California

Licence

CA LPCC 3363

Licence number

3363

Licence expires

31 May 2028

NPI

1164730560

Years in practice

15

Gender

Female

Languages

English

International clients

Not accepted

Listed since

9 Jun 2026

07 · Provenance

Where every line on this page came from

Melanie's name, credential, state, subjects, approaches and biography are read from BetterHelp's therapist roster, which Maker Therapy re-reads once a day; this page reflects the reading taken on 9 Oct 2026. The licence number and NPI are cross-checked against public registers.

The plain-English method descriptions, the first-session walkthrough and the questions are written by Maker Therapy and labelled as such wherever they appear.

Maker Therapy is not BetterHelp, does not take bookings, and has not met Melanie. There are no reviews or ratings on this page because we have no way to verify one. If you start therapy through a link here, we may be paid a commission - it does not change your price and it does not affect who appears here or in what order.

Something on this page wrong or out of date? Report it and it will be checked against the source.