- ACT and CBT techniques
- Family systems work
- Trauma-informed approach
About Melanie
Melanie Barefield is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) and a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) in Georgia with eight years of experience. She works with adults facing stress, anxiety, anger, grief, depression, relationship strain, and parenting concerns. She also helps people dealing with trauma, family of origin issues, ADHD, and compassion fatigue.
She focuses on concrete steps rather than labels. She listens first, then helps clients name where they want to get to. Sessions often include learning skills to manage strong emotions, practical communication tools, and ways to reduce repeated patterns that cause conflict. Melanie uses approaches that target thoughts, behaviors, and relationships to make daily life more manageable.
Her background includes work in residential treatment centers, in-home counseling, church-based programs, and hospital settings. That variety shaped how she handles crises and routine stressors alike. She brings experience helping people process past traumatic experiences and the fallout those events can create in current relationships.
When working with people connected to family problems, she draws on family systems ideas to map how patterns repeat across generations. With individuals she often applies techniques from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and trauma-focused approaches when those fit the concern. She also uses Acceptance and Commitment Therapy principles and motivational interviewing to clarify values and encourage steps toward them.
Getting started begins with a short matching questionnaire and scheduling a first session. Melanie aims to work collaboratively on practical goals, whether the issue is parenting strain, ongoing resentment, or navigating life changes.
How Melanie’s approaches translate to online work
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps people clarify what matters to them and take small steps toward those values even when anger or anxiety shows up. It emphasizes noticing thoughts and choosing actions that align with goals. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) focuses on identifying thought patterns and behavioral habits that feed anger and replacing them with more helpful responses. Trauma-Focused Therapy helps people process past events that continue to affect mood, relationships, and reactions to stress.Choosing the right approach is part of the work. Melanie will collaborate with each person to decide which methods fit their situation and goals. That can mean combining strategies - skills practice from CBT, values work from ACT, and careful processing when trauma is involved - to create a route forward that makes sense for the client.
Confirm current session formats before booking, as specific options are not listed here. Online sessions can make it easier to fit therapy into a busy life, allowing people to schedule appointments between work tasks or from different locations. Some formats reduce bandwidth needs or allow a briefer check-in when days are tight. Therapists and licensed professionals commonly use these flexible arrangements to help clients keep consistent momentum toward their goals.
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
8+ years
Listed in
Georgia
Languages
English
Frequently asked questions
What kinds of anger-related concerns does she address?
She helps with losing temper in close relationships, work frustration, built-up resentment, and living with someone else’s strong anger. Anger is named among the concerns she works with.
How would you describe her therapy style?
She listens first and then works collaboratively to set goals. Sessions focus on practical skills for emotion regulation, communication, and changing repetitive patterns.
How much clinical experience does she have?
She has eight years of experience working across residential treatment, in-home counseling, church-based programs, and hospital settings.
What are her credentials and where does she practice?
She holds LPC and LMFT credentials and practices in Georgia. The credentials are listed as GA LPC and GA LMFT.
Which languages are sessions offered in?
Sessions are offered in English.
Does she work with clients outside the United States?
International clients are not currently accepted.
How are sessions paid for?
Cost varies by location and sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
What steps do I take to begin working with her?
Select the See online therapy options button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule a first session.