Your Shelter from the Storm

THERAPY FOR YOUNG PEOPLE, ADULTS AND COUPLES

Cognitive Behaviour Therapy

YOUR PATH TO A CALMER LIFE

Therapy & Coaching

Welcome to The Cove!

In today’s fast-paced world, it’s no wonder that life can sometimes feel overwhelming. But you don’t have to navigate it alone. I’m here to help you find your way.

I’m a British-trained Cognitive Behaviour Psychotherapist and a certified Life Coach with over 25 years of experience. Whether you’re a young person, an adult, or a couple facing challenges, I’m dedicated to supporting you. I specialise in working with expats and offer both online sessions worldwide and in-person sessions in the beautiful city of Amsterdam.

Taking that first step towards therapy or coaching can feel daunting, but at The Cove, I aim to make it as easy as possible. No matter what you’re facing, I’m here to help.

Feel free to explore my website, send me an email, or give me a call. I look forward to connecting with you and starting this journey together.

“We don’t see things as they are; we see things as we are”
~ Anais Nin

How I can Help

Ever feel like life throws more challenges than opportunities your way? Whether you’re dealing with unresolved past issues or new problems that have just appeared, it can be hard to see the path forward.

For over 25 years, I’ve been helping clients navigate these challenges using a variety of strategies. Here’s how I can help:

Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT)

CBT helps both adults and young people understand and alleviate negative feelings by exploring the connections between thoughts, feelings, and behaviour. For couples, it can enhance relationships and rekindle connections. Find out more…

Life Coaching (LC)

Focused on the future, LC helps you set and reach personal and professional goals. If you’ve lost direction, LC can keep you motivated and focused on achieving what’s important to you. Find out more…

Myers Briggs Type Inventory (MBTI)

This assessment helps you understand your personal strengths and individual temperament, fostering greater self-awareness. Find out more…

Workshops

Workshops are a cost-effective way to address group issues. I offer fun, and effective workshops based on evidence-based therapy models, tailored to your organisations needs. Find out more…

We can meet face-to-face at my practice in South Amsterdam, or if you prefer, we can connect online via Zoom.

If I can’t help you, I’ll do my best to point you towards someone who can. Contact me to schedule an initial appointment, either online or in person.

“You will never be completely at home again, because part of your heart will always be elsewhere. That is the price you pay for the richness of loving and knowing people in more than one place”
~ Miriam Adeney

Meet Melanie

My name is Melanie. As a UK citizen who spent much of my childhood living abroad, I understand the unique challenges of an international lifestyle. I completed my education in England and began my career with the NHS in London, where I trained in Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) and earned my accreditation as a CBT therapist.

Seventeen years ago, my journey took me abroad, first to Amsterdam, then to Munich, and eventually back to Amsterdam. In both cities, I’ve had the privilege of using CBT and Life Coaching to support expats from all walks of life.

FIND OUT MORE

Accredited Cognitive Behaviour Psychotherapist
Registered Life Coach

What My Clients Say

Melanie’s intervention in my life was nothing short of a miracle. When I first reached out to her, I was in a very dark place. I was held hostage by my own ignorance of pretty much everything – environmental conditions, my relationship to those conditions, my thoughts and emotions. Melanie helped me inquire into it all with the greatest insight and support. She has always been kind, compassionate and very clever!

Anonymous, USA

Melanie is armed with compassion, a genuine curiosity to really understand who’s in front of her, and always open to experiment with yet a new approach, she has made every single session memorable, but most importantly, she’s navigated me into a fuller life.

SR, Netherlands

Melanie was definitely my greatest ally during the most difficult of times of my life and I still consider her my best ally now that “life is good”.   Making that first appointment with Melanie was one of the best decisions I’ve made, benefiting not just me, but also everyone in my family.

Anonymous, Belgium

Melanie is very empathetic and was able to successfully mediate between my partner and me, allowing us to finally listen to each other after months of fighting. Thank you Melanie, for your patience and advice!

F&Z, Netherlands

I met Melanie online and she helped me through one of the most difficult times of my life. She was able to coach me through some complex emotions and I gained perspective and insight. She gave me coping strategies and focus for the important immediacies, with reassurance that I was progressing as I went through the array of emotions. It is very useful to able to speak with an impartial person about challenges, perspective and goals.

HM, UK

Melanie helped me out during an existential life-crisis. Not only did she help me find practical tools to understand myself and my behavioural patterns better; she also helped me deal with some old, buried childhood issues in a constructive manner and address some open issues with my family. Her approach is very sound and I highly recommend it to anyone who is looking for practical tools to understand and deal with the complexities and burdens of modern life.

FB, India

Working with Melanie has allowed me to create new perspectives on beliefs about myself. Melanie asks me the right questions, and guides me in seeing old and new situations with a proactive mindset. This leads me to change the conversation with myself. Our sessions are via Skype, which is quite convenient for both of us, and this hasn’t affect at all the quality of our work.

AM, Portugal

We highly, highly recommend Melanie for couples counseling. She has helped us work through issues surrounding new parenthood, depression, anxiety, and being an expat. She is understanding, direct, and helpful. We’ve really appreciated her help with boosting the health of our marriage.

K&S, USA

Melanie’s coaching helped me draw a picture of the root causes of my frustrations which were negatively impacting my personal and professional life. She has given me the tools to accept myself and change my behaviour so that I can manage the situations myself for the long term. The results were so impressive that I was able to not only accept my environment but embrace it and become a key figure in it. Shortly after our first sessions I was promoted to Manager and kept growing since then.

MA, France

I attended one of Melanie’s workshops and it was a really enjoyable evening! I came out buzzing with ideas and tips as to how to put things into practice. The material she provided was thought-provoking and the discussion interesting, balanced and helpful.

Anonymous, Amsterdam

Melanie has been an absolute godsend for our family. My daughter has been diagnosed on the autistic spectrum and the bond that Melanie built with her was exceptional. This bond of trust combined with Melanie’s creative and caring therapy meant that my daughter (and indeed our family) was able to overcome various issues which had previously felt overwhelming. I have also relied on Melanie’s expert guidance to help me deal with my son’s anxiety. As a mother, besides being a therapist, Melanie really gets to the heart of the issues and provides practical, honest and truly effective advice. I can’t recommend Melanie enough and would like to thank her for all her she has done in her work with my family.

KS, UK 

Melanie has been a fantastic companion in the difficult journey of self-discovery and self-acceptance. She’s literally walked me out of a very dark period of my life. When I was stronger, she’s taught me precious tools to walk on my feet again, tackled deep-buried issues and coached me to face big and small challenges alike.

SB, Italy