Melanie Ketels, MS, LAC

About

Pre-Licensed Professional in Jersey City, NJ. Works with LGBTQ+, Relationship Issues and Anxiety. Sees clients in person and online. Takes Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna and other plans. Accepting new clients.

Areas of expertise

• Relationship Issues
• Anxiety
• Anger Management
• Coping Skills
• Depression
• Divorce
• Family Conflict
• Grief
• Life Transitions
• Parenting
• Peer Relationships
• Racial Identity
• Self Esteem
• Stress Management
• Trauma and PTSD

Types of therapy

• Acceptance and Commitment (ACT)Helps people make room for difficult thoughts and feelings instead of fighting them, and commit to actions that fit what matters to them.
• Cognitive Behavioral (CBT)A structured, practical therapy that looks at how thoughts, feelings and actions affect each other, and teaches skills for changing unhelpful thinking and habits.
• Culturally SensitiveTakes a person's culture, identity, background and values into account, and shapes the work so it fits their life.
• Dialectical Behavior (DBT)A skills-based therapy grown out of CBT. Teaches ways to manage intense emotions, get through crises, stay present and handle relationships.
• Gottman MethodA couples therapy built on research into what makes relationships last. Works on friendship, handling conflict and shared meaning.
• IntegrativeCombines more than one therapy approach, fitted to the person's needs.
• InterventionHelp planning and running an intervention, where family and friends come together to encourage someone, often with an addiction, to accept treatment.
• Mindfulness-Based (MBCT)Combines mindfulness practice, paying attention to the present moment without judgment, with ideas from cognitive therapy.
• Motivational InterviewingA collaborative style of conversation that helps people explore mixed feelings about a change and find their own reasons to make it.
• MulticulturalRecognizes how culture, race, ethnicity and other identities shape experience, and makes them part of the work.
• NarrativeHelps people separate themselves from their problems and retell the stories they hold about their lives in ways that feel truer and more helpful.
• Person-CenteredA warm, non-directive approach: the therapist listens with empathy and without judgment, and trusts the person to find their own direction.
• Solution Focused Brief (SFBT)A short-term, goal-focused approach that spends less time on problems and more on what already works and the small steps toward what the person wants.
• Strength-BasedFocuses on the strengths, skills and resources a person already has, and builds on them to meet challenges.
• Trauma FocusedTherapy for people affected by trauma. Puts safety and pacing first, and helps process painful memories so they have less hold on daily life.

More details

Sessions

Both in-person and online

Accepting new clients

Yes

Specialties

LGBTQ+, Relationship Issues, Anxiety, ADHD, Anger Management, Bipolar Disorder, Career Counseling, Coping Skills, Depression, Divorce, Emotional Disturbance, Family Conflict, Grief, Life Transitions, Marital and Premarital, Mood Disorders, Neurodivergence, Parenting, Peer Relationships, Pregnancy, Prenatal, Postpartum, Racial Identity, Self Esteem, Stress, Trauma and PTSD

Insurance

Aetna, Anthem, Blue Cross, Blue Shield, BlueCross and BlueShield, Carelon Behavioral Health, Cigna and Evernorth, Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield, Horizon Blue Cross and Blue Shield, Humana, Magellan, Optum, Oscar Health, Oxford, UnitedHealthcare UHC | UBH, WellCare, Wellfleet, Wellpoint | Amerigroup, Out of Network

Fees

Individual sessions $150, couple sessions $200; sliding scale available

Payment methods

American Express, Check, Discover, Health Savings Account, Mastercard, Visa

Ages

Children (6 to 10), Preteen, Teen, Adults, Elders (65+)

Works with

Individuals, Couples, Family

Ethnicity

Hispanic and Latino

Languages

English, Español

Gender

Non-Binary

Years in practice

3

Other offices

Newark, 07101

Education & qualifications