Counselling holds space for you to talk about and process what's happened — to be heard and understood, without judgement. Coaching doesn't talk about the past; instead we look to the future and how to get there. Counselling allows insights to drop, and coaching is a method of making those insights a living reality.
My story
Hi, I'm Mel
Counsellor and coach in the field of trauma recovery — counselling since 2007.
Melanie Philippides
Dip.Couns
About me
Counsellor & coach
I'm a mental health counsellor, with a diploma in Psychosynthesis Counselling (The Institute of Psychosynthesis, 2011) and I also trained in Life/Wellness Coaching (Energy4Life, 2015). I've been counselling in the field of trauma recovery since 2007, when I started my training.
I specialise in cluster B personality disorders, codependency & cPTSD, providing online counselling and coaching to help people recover and heal from the breakdown of a dysfunctional relationship. The focus is not only on healing and recovery, but also adaptability and growth, and it is often a traumatic relationship break up that instigates a journey towards psycho-spiritual awakening.
2007
Began counselling training
2011
Diploma, Institute of Psychosynthesis
2015
Life/Wellness Coaching, Energy4Life
Chapter one
Where it began
I've always been fascinated by the mysterious and unknown.
My family owned a care home for people with neurological disorders so I had been exposed early on in life to a wide spectrum of mental health issues and neurodivergency. I was intrigued. I wanted to learn more about why people act the way they do and why some people are different to others. Combined with my nurturing temperament and a desire to want to help others, it made sense that I would be drawn towards counselling psychology.
Chapter two
Training as a counsellor
After I graduated high school I studied psychology at the University of Surrey and after graduating with my BSc in Psychology, I went on to train at the Institute of Psychosynthesis and graduated with a Diploma in Psychosynthesis counselling in 2011.
My training was intense! Especially starting at 23 years old. We are still building our egos at this age, and here I was, invited to break myself down for self-examination. On top of this, my first clients during training were deeply traumatised people. Not surprising, considering I was seeing people locally in my home town in South London (Croydon). I realised early on that this was my path in life, embodying the archetype of the wounded healer to help others feel freedom from their suffering. It's why I'm able to hold space so well for traumatised people in my counselling — I've been doing it since 2007 ;)
Chapter three
Freedom is what I stand for
Freedom is what I stand for — freedom from pain, which led me to learn about Buddhism, Taoism and meditation, which I started learning about during my counselling training.
Freedom from incessant thoughts, from limiting self-beliefs, from stories that keep us stuck in unhealthy relationships and patterns. The freedom to live authentically, not living to please others. This is something that I desperately wanted to experience for myself in my 20s, which is why it's been a life-long project to learn how to do this. My work isn't just for others — it's what helped me find inner freedom, and I'm so happy to share this with you all.
Chapter four
Adding coaching to my practice
A few years after I qualified as a Psychosynthesis counsellor I felt like something was missing from my practice.
For example, practical solutions to help my clients get into better habits. Some clients didn't want to talk about the past as it would re-traumatise them by doing so, so I realised that I would benefit by training in life coaching, as these are skills that would undoubtedly be useful for my traumatised clients. I discovered Energy for Life Coaching, which complements the holistic nature of my counselling training.
What inspired me the most in the coaching training was the pragmatic and useful exercises that I could apply into my daily routine, which made subtle yet instant changes and in turn the rewards deepened the more I practised them. It already helped that I was familiar with meditation, however learning coaching skills and applying it to my own life deepened and improved my meditation and mindfulness practices, as well as help me better manage procrastination, improve my focus and transform unhealthy habits. I felt that this was what had been missing previously from my counselling training and I am happy with how enriched my therapeutic practice has become.
Chapter five
Taking my practice online
Admittedly it took me a long time to build up my practice to the size it is now.
I am so happy that I am working full time as a counsellor and coach, working online so that I can reach anyone, anywhere. Before I was on YouTube, I was on the counselling directory, working part time and renting a room to see clients in person. This is when I was focusing on working with vulnerable women, which included not only my counselling and coaching but also healing workshops, giving talks at expos and providing snake interaction services to help people overcome snake phobias and build up confidence. I am a snake owner myself, and have personally witnessed the transformation that can happen when mindfully interacting with these powerful creatures.
I also used to belly dance professionally part time, and sometimes with my snake (what we call "snake charming" in the belly dancing world). Whilst this is something that I no longer do, dancing on stage did give me the confidence to put myself out there on YouTube (which is something that I had thought about doing but was too nervous to do, as I was wary of the exposure). In 2019 I decided to take my practice online and started my YouTube page, focusing on helping people recover from the trauma of dating someone personality-disordered. And here I am today, so happy that I took the plunge and went on YouTube. I've met some wonderful people from all around the world through my work and working virtually has changed my life for the better.
Chapter six
From fear to love and trust
Personal transformation has always been a personal area of interest to me.
Now at this point in my life with all the work I've done on myself, I can honestly say that I have let go of the walls that I had put around me and have moved on from a place of fear to a place of love and trust. I have built up my self-esteem and confidence and most importantly, I believe in myself. With everything that I've learned, I am sharing with my viewers on YouTube and with my clients. I have experienced the healing and magic that comes from loving and forgiving myself and others and I want to bring this to others who have forgotten.
I appreciated my sessions with Mel because it opened up doors that I never thought were there. I feel I have more control over my future. Mel has been a guiding light through my journey. Mel made the hard part easy and was with me, every step of the way
Matt, 27, London
Frequently asked questions
I specialise in helping people heal from childhood trauma as well as processing traumatising events that have happened in adult life — especially if the trauma has been a result of having personality-disordered people in your life. Whether it was your ex, a friend, someone at work or a family member.
Yes. Everything shared is confidential, including what's written in emails, what is spoken of in the sessions and any audio content created. Confidentiality works both ways in our work together — I ask that you share nothing online. By purchasing sessions you are agreeing to this confidentiality agreement.
No. Some people don't want to talk about the past, as it would re-traumatise them. In coaching we don't talk about the past; we look to the future and how to get there.
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