Melissa Masters

I am currently taking on new clients, adults and young people.

When you first make contact with me, however you arrive - anxious, grieving, overwhelmed, uncertain or simply tired of managing alone - you do not need to know exactly what to say. We can begin with what feels most present for you.

I work primarily as a person-centred counsellor. This means I will not judge you, direct what you talk about, or assume that I know your experience better than you do. I listen closely to both what has happened and what it has meant for you, helping you make sense of feelings, thoughts and patterns that can be difficult to untangle alone.

I counsel adults of all ages and young people aged 13–18. Alongside private practice, my experience includes an NHS cancer counselling service, counselling students in a local secondary school and earlier work with Victim Support. I am therefore especially familiar with anxiety, grief and bereavement, trauma, low self-worth, relationship difficulties, neurodivergence, educational and work-related stress, and the emotional impact of illness or life-changing events.

Our relationship is an important part of the therapy. I aim to offer warmth, honesty and consistency so that, over time, you can feel safe enough to explore parts of your experience that may have been hidden, dismissed or difficult to share. We work at your pace. I may offer a reflection, notice a connection or gently invite deeper exploration, but you can always disagree, correct me or say that you are not ready to go there.

Person-centred values remain the foundation of my practice, while my way of working can also be integrative when this fits your needs, for example, I can offer Emotional Focused Therapy & Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. With your agreement, I may draw on gentle psychoeducation, grounding or practical ways to manage overwhelm. Nothing is imposed and there is no standard formula: our work develops around you.

I offer confidential, one-to-one counselling face to face in Tunbridge Wells and also online if you do not live near by. I can also in certain circumstances offer home based counselling sessions. 

Sessions are usually weekly. We can begin with six sessions and then review together, continuing for shorter- or longer-term work where helpful.

Counselling with me is an engaged, thoughtful conversation between us, with room to slow down. You can speak freely, pause, change your mind or tell me when I have not fully understood you. I will listen carefully and may reflect feelings, patterns or meanings I notice, always tentatively and with respect for your understanding of yourself. Together, we decide what needs attention.

Some sessions may centre on what is happening in your life now; others may explore earlier experiences and relationships that still shape how you feel, cope or connect with people today. At times, you may want practical support with anxiety or overwhelm. At others, what matters most may be having feelings witnessed without being rushed towards a solution. I will not push you to revisit painful experiences before you feel ready, and we will regularly review whether counselling is meeting your needs.

My BA in Developmental Psychology and experience across NHS cancer care, education, school counselling and Victim Support inform my understanding without leading me to assume I know your story. I welcome people from varied cultures, identities, relationships, faiths and life circumstances, including those who identify as neurodivergent, have a diagnosis or are beginning to explore this part of themselves.

Please note: My face-to-face room is reached by one flight of stairs and there is currently no lift, but I do welcome discussion of mobility, communication, sensory, neurodiversity or access needs. I am Â鶹ԭ´´-registered, insured, regularly supervised and work within the Â鶹ԭ´´ Ethical Framework.

Before you commit to counselling, I offer a free, no-obligation 30-minute consultation by phone or online. This is more than a quick introductory call: it gives us unhurried time to explore what has brought you to counselling, what you hope may become different and what you need from a therapist.

There is no pressure to book. If working together feels right, we can arrange your first full counselling session Before counselling begins, I will explain our working agreement, including confidentiality and its limits, safeguarding, session arrangements, fees and cancellations, so that everything is clear.

Your first full 50 minutes session is then a gentle beginning rather than a demand to tell your whole story. We start with what feels most important and move at a pace that feels manageable for you.