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Welcome to Miss Melanie Helps!
Miss Melanie Helps, PLLC
Who We Are
Hi! I'm Melanie Bugnaski, MA, LPC of Miss Melanie Helps PLLC!
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Miss Melanie Helps is a collaborative partnership with local community groups that offers various coaching, teaching and counseling programs!
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I am a Masters level licensed counselor, coach, tutor, instructor, and photographer. A background in design mixed with life experiences enables me to analyze difficult circumstances, troubleshoot in creative ways, and provide empathy to clients with a holistic approach.​
OUR CORE SERVICES
What We Do
Have you ever felt alone and like people don't understand you? Or have you ever struggled with, am I making the right choices in parenting for my children? My passion in counseling is helping clients understand who they are, to gain skills that help them meet their goals, and to provide educational opportunities for growth. Together WE define your goals and set obtainable objectives to meet those goals... you are the expert of you! Think of me as your helper or guide...
Mental Health Counseling Services
Expert Guidance
I currently serve all ages from pre-school children through empty-nesters! I use empirically validated solution focused and cognitive behavioral techniques while integrating play, art, exercise and music. I also utilize client-centered techniques, family systems, and psychodynamic approaches which provide tools to customize your needs. EMDR Trained and Trauma Informed.
My goal is to build trust in the therapeutic relationship, to allow a space for healing. Contact to schedule a brief consultation.
Experiential Groups
Strategic Growth
Need help overcoming a fear? Or perhaps you want to build on your communication skills? Individual or group experiential activities combine team building and self-growth opportunities to shape and develop skills you may not know are hidden within. By engaging in bi-lateral movement through exercise, art or music; we are able to tap into a calming center while utilizing both the left and right hemispheres of the brain. This allows improved problem-solving skills, emotional regulation, attention and concentration. This can be offered indoors or outdoors at various venues. Contact to inquire of future experiential group opportunities or to host a group at your school or workplace.
Growing Together
Family Workshops
Family workshops offer a fun day for your entire family to GROW TOGETHER through Movement, Music, Relaxation & Art Activities. Throughout our lives, most of us have experienced being pruned (through discipline), transplanted (planned or unplanned moves in life) or being grafted into another family unit (through marriage or divorce)... but we are still able to be fruitful. Learn skills for navigating your family journey of relationships and faith. Traditional, blended, single parent-led, grandparent-led, adopted and foster families are all welcome! Contact to inquire of future workshop days or to host a workshop at your school or church.
Rebuild Family Groups
Family Healing
Rebuild is a 5-week course for parents and children going through separation or divorce. This group is co-taught, and we begin as a group to go over a weekly theme, then split into two groups to further engage; one group for adults, and one for children (recommended ages 4-17). The 5 themes presented are: RENOUNCE, RESTORE, RENEW, RESET, REFRESH. We use the Bible along with therapeutic techniques as your family is adjusting to a new normal. We will teach practical tools for calming anxieties, lifting depression, and introducing positive communication skills. Contact to inquire of future courses or to host a group.
Family Coaching
Foster & Adopted Families
Family Coaching Sessions are for families in transition through foster care or adoption. This supportive solution focused coaching focuses on FAMILY systems or family dysfunction, and to provide HELPFUL SOLUTIONS.
This is an alternative to traditional therapy which focuses on one individual, to care for the group as a whole. Coaching is offered for a group fee for 4 sessions, with the option to add-on additional meetings.
This will include a diagnostic evaluation to determine if family dysfunction is due to a child's behavior problems through life transitions and / or traumatic experiences. We work together to help identify social and emotional deficits along with executive function skill building to create new systems for the family to function better.
*Payments offered through HIPPA Compliant online service through credit card, debit card, and some HSA / FSA accounts may be utilized - check your specific plan to see if covered in advance.
Couples Counseling
Pre-marriage or Post-marriage
Through assessing your personality styles, communication patterns, finances, social life, intimacy expectations, and family planning goals, we work together to identify areas both parties align in, and some sticky areas for improvement. This is a 6-week course designed to provide tools for navigating the current season and future seasons you will endure as a couple. This PROACTIVE approach helps to prepare for future conflicts and build problem solving skills. We utilize various strategies from Gottman Therapy, SYMBIS Assessments, and traditional Cognitive Behavior approaches to customize the tools you need.
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Already in a sticky situation? We can help you there as well! Contact us to see if couples or individual therapies would be best for your situation.
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