Mel Ciavucco - online counsellor

Therapist Directory Listing Category: Online Therapy

About the Therapist

About the therapist:

Hi, I'm Mel, I'm an Integrative Counsellor offering online sessions via Zoom. Are you struggling with self-confidence, self-worth, or just not feeling so great about yourself? Have you been feeling anxious, stressed, or uncertain in life? Are you looking for a non-judgemental, comfortable and impartial space to talk things through? I can offer a warm, welcoming space to help walk alongside you to work through this together. I am adaptable and collaborative, meeting you where you're at, and drawing on various theories and tools to help you on your way.

I work with issues such as low confidence and self-esteem, identity worries, low mood, depression, anxiety, difficult past experiences such as bullying and abuse, body image problems, body dysmorphia, disordered eating and more. I am neuroaffirmative and offer a welcoming space for people with autism and ADHD.

I work with an understanding of the impact of past trauma, attachment difficulties and socio-cultural issues. I am dedicated to working on offering an anti-oppressive practice. I say "working on" as I feel this is continued learning and takes continual self-reflection and awareness building. My counselling practice has grown out of my passion for social justice, my own struggles in the past, and my aims for inclusive and adaptable modern counselling practices.

Sexual identity:

Other

Gender identity: Female

Gender history: As assigned at birth

Non-monogamy: Yes

Intersex: No

Neurodivergent: Unsure

Personal pronouns: She/Her

Qualifications - Links to websites:

BA (Hons) Counselling and Therapeutic Practice - First Class Honours, University of South Wales

Foundation Certificate in Counselling and Psychotherapy and Listening Skills course - Bath Centre for Psychotherapy and Counselling

NEDDE - Advanced Diploma in Neurodiversity and Eating Disorders, NCFED eating disorder training, First Steps ED (plus years of my own learning - books, webinars, conferences, podcasts etc)
Various webinars and reading on anti-diet approaches, body acceptance and fat activism. I have worked in various roles for eating disorder charities for 7+ years. I have past lived experience of eating distress, body image issues and weight stigma.

Race, Culture and Anti-Discrimination training
ASIST Suicide Intervention training

Various Domestic Abuse trainings with Alpha Vesta, Relate, and the Working with Perpetrators European Network, Drive Partnership - Advanced Risk Assessment for LGBT+ Perpetrators. I am also on a steering group designing perpetrator programmes for LGBT+ communities.

Accredited member of the NCPS
MEMBERSHIP NO: NCS23-02494

Qualifications - Additional:

Award	Awarding body	Year of award

Experience and approach:

Integrative - I studied a mix of theories and modalities including person-centred, psychodynamic, existential, CBT, solution-focused, internal family systems, compassion-focused and more.

Pluralistic - my training was pluralistic which means I am client-led, adaptable and collaborative.

Neuro-affirmative - I recognise the natural diversity of learning needs in the world and the need for affirmative care for those with Autism, ADHD, dyslexia (and more) and the recognition of the discrimination and systemic inequalities neurodivergent people may face.

Trauma-informed - I recognise the impact of past trauma, childhood development and attachment in the early years, and the trauma of facing discrimination, as well as inter-generational trauma.

Anti-oppressive - I strive for my practice to be anti-discriminatory and anti-oppressive meaning I recognise systemic inequalities and power dynamics, and the impact of this in the counselling room. My commitment to this involves continued self-reflection and learning on my privilege and intersections of my own identity.

Approaches: