01 · Who Melanie works with

Melanie works with stress, Anxiety, addictions and bipolar disorder

Melanie lists 12 specialisms and 6 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.

No matter what kind of challenges or difficulties or painful situations you go through in your life, we all have something deep within us that we can reach down and find the inner strength to get through them. Alana Stewart

My name is Melanie Griffin and I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW), practicing in North Carolina (#C11127). I am also licensed and have done extensive work as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in the state of Connecticut (#007008). I have been a Therapist/ LCSW for over 12 years and take pride in the fact that I have worked with a diverse population/culture of people. I received my Master of Social Work (MSW), from Southern CT State University, I also hold a Bachelors (BS) in Public Health. I have done work in such areas as Forensics, Community Services, Crisis Intervention, Trauma, Mental Health and Addictions, Geriatrics, Adolescent Services and Family Reunification. I firmly believe in “Meeting the client where they are”. This, I believe has enhanced my role as a truly empathetic therapist and has helped me to understand the importance of Person-Centered Therapy. CBT is another theory which I strongly believe really works in therapy. I understand that reaching out for help can not only be scary, but for many it still holds a realm of stigma and shame, this is why I am so conscious of the therapist’s role of engaging with their client for the purpose of opening up the gates of trust, empathy and understanding. If I can help you in anyway, please reach out to me.

Melanie Griffin, 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.

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.

Motivational InterviewingMI

A way of talking about change with somebody who is genuinely in two minds about it. The therapist does not argue for the change; they help you say your own reasons out loud, which is the part that predicts whether it happens. Common around substance use and health behaviour.

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.

Also listed

• Existential Therapy

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 16 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

LCSW

Licensed in

North Carolina

Licence

NC LCSW C011127, CT LCSW 007008

Licence number

007008

Licence expires

28 Feb 2027

NPI

1245549815

Years in practice

16

Gender

Female

Languages

English

International clients

Not accepted

Listed since

15 May 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.