Therapist profile
Melanie Barefield, LPC, LMFT
LPC and LMFT focusing on family and parenting
Continue with MelanieAbout
- Family systems work
- Trauma-informed care
- CBT techniques
About Melanie
Melanie Barefield is a Licensed Professional Counselor and a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in Georgia with 8 years of clinical experience. She focuses on stress, anxiety, family concerns, trauma and abuse, parenting, depression, and related challenges. Melanie works with adults who are navigating relationship strain, grief, life changes, or the ripple effects of childhood family dynamics.
She spent much of her career in residential treatment centers, providing in-home counseling, and working within church-based and hospital settings. That mix of settings shaped how she approaches practical problems and crisis moments. Melanie has supported people coping with postpartum depression, compassion fatigue, and symptoms linked to bipolar disorder and ADHD.
Her practice emphasizes listening first, then collaborating on clear goals. She uses techniques from cognitive behavioral therapy and trauma-focused methods when they fit a person's needs. Melanie also draws on family systems ideas to explain how patterns develop and to help people change how they relate to each other.
She has experience using Prepare-Enrich with couples to address relationship skills and structure. For individuals she often blends Acceptance and Commitment Therapy ideas with motivational interviewing strategies to help with motivation, values, and coping. Her work includes helping people deal with abandonment, blended family issues, communication problems, infidelity, guilt and shame, and multicultural concerns.
Melanie asks people to start by selecting the See online therapy options button, completing a short matching questionnaire, and scheduling a first session. Costs vary by location and sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
How sessions work
Therapeutic approaches and how they translate to online work
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, often called ACT, focuses on clarifying values and taking action that matches those values. It helps when people feel stuck by anxiety, low mood, or decisions about family roles. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, looks at how thoughts, feelings, and behaviors interact and uses straightforward exercises to change unhelpful patterns. CBT is commonly used for anxiety, depression, and stress related to parenting or relationship strain.Choosing an approach is collaborative. The therapist will talk with the client about goals, symptoms, and preferences and then recommend one or more methods to try. This may include mixing ACT, CBT, or trauma-focused techniques over time to respond to changing needs and progress.
Session logistics should be confirmed before booking since the original biography does not list specific formats. Ask about the available online session types when you complete the matching questionnaire. One practical advantage of online sessions is that they can fit into a busy day more easily, letting adults connect from a quieter place, take a shorter check-in during a break, or avoid travel time. Therapists and licensed professionals can also adapt exercises and worksheets for remote use so clients continue progress between meetings.
Areas of focus
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
8+ years
Listed in
Georgia
Languages
English
Questions
Frequently asked questions
What concerns does she focus on?
She works with stress, anxiety, family issues, trauma and abuse, parenting concerns, depression, grief, and related problems.
What is her style or approach in sessions?
She listens first, then collaborates on clear goals and uses practical techniques from CBT, trauma-focused therapy, and family systems thinking.
How much clinical experience does she have?
She has 8 years of experience working in residential treatment, in-home counseling, church-based, and hospital settings.
What credentials does she hold and where is she located?
She is an LPC and an LMFT licensed in Georgia and practices there.
Does she work with people who do not speak English?
Sessions are offered in English only.
Can people outside the United States work with her?
She does not accept international clients at this time.
How are sessions paid for and what does it cost?
Cost varies with location and sessions use a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.
How do I begin if I want to work together?
Select the See online therapy options button, complete the short matching questionnaire, and schedule a first session.
Details come from information the therapist supplied to BetterHelp. A license can be checked with the state board.
Online talk therapy is not emergency care. If anyone is in danger, use the crisis numbers.