01 · Who Melissa works with

Melissa works with stress, Anxiety, relationship issues and trauma and abuse

Melissa lists 5 specialisms and 10 further focus areas. Specialisms are the subjects Melissa chose to list first, which is the closest a listing gets to “this is my actual practice”.

02 · In Melissa's own words

What Melissa says about the work

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

My name is Melissa Newsom and I am a compassionate, approachable therapist who believes that meaningful change begins with feeling truly heard, understood, and accepted. I create a safe, judgment-free environment where clients can slow down, make sense of what they are experiencing, and develop practical tools to move forward.

As a therapist, I bring warmth and authenticity to my work while meeting each person where they are. I understand that therapy is not about telling people how to live their lives-it is about helping them better understand themselves, recognize their strengths, work through challenges, and create a life that feels more manageable and fulfilling.

My clients can expect a genuine therapeutic relationship built on trust, respect, collaboration, and compassion. Whether someone is struggling with life transitions, relationships, emotional challenges, self-worth, trauma, stress, or simply feels stuck, I offer a supportive space to explore what is happening beneath the surface and identify a path forward.

Melissa Newsom, on the BetterHelp listing · read 7 Oct 2026

03 · How Melissa works

The 5 approaches Melissa lists, in plain English

These are the clinical methods Melissa lists. The descriptions are Maker Therapy's, not Melissa'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 Melissa 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.

Mindfulness-Based TherapyMBCT

Trains attention on what is happening right now - body, breath, the thought as it arrives - so distress can be observed rather than automatically acted on. Strongest evidence is in preventing depression from recurring, and it is usually taught as a practice you keep doing outside the session.

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.

04 · What happens next

From this page to a first session

Melissa 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 Melissa'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 Melissa at this point.

2. Naming Melissa specifically

   BetterHelp matches algorithmically by default, so asking for Melissa 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 Melissa.

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

3 questions worth asking Melissa

Built from what Melissa actually lists, so they are answerable and specific rather than generic. Maker Therapy's, not Melissa's - Melissa 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.

• “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

Kentucky

Licence

KY LCSW LCSW00001613

Licence number

LCSW00001613

Licence expires

4 Jun 2029

NPI

1558214163

Years in practice

3

Gender

Female

Languages

English

International clients

Not accepted

Listed since

2 Sep 2026

07 · Provenance

Where every line on this page came from

Melissa'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 7 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 Melissa. 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.