Melanie Towne
Compassionate, practical care for life transitions
CSW-PIP South Dakota
- Experience
- 11 years in practice
- Focus areas
- Anger, Self esteem, Depression
- Approaches
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Client-Centered Therapy
- Languages
- English
About Melanie
Melanie Towne brings eleven years of clinical social work experience to her practice in South Dakota. She centers care on the individual, helping clients who face depression, anxiety, anger, self-harm, bipolar symptoms, relationship and family challenges, trauma and abuse, and life transitions.
Background and approach
Her work also includes support for aging and geriatric concerns, isolation and loneliness, mood and personality disorders, and coping with major life changes. Her therapeutic style emphasizes collaboration and respect for each person’s knowledge of their own life.
Melanie draws on client-centered principles while using evidence-informed techniques such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), solution-focused methods, narrative approaches, and trauma-informed strategies. She has experience across settings including psychiatric care for adolescents, nursing home work with older adults, family and group therapy, and supporting caregivers through burnout and bereavement.
In sessions she partners with clients to identify goals, explore strengths, and select practical tools that match personal preferences. She also brings familiarity with court-involved youth and chemical dependency issues, using that background to help clients navigate systems and make behavior changes.
Melanie aims to encourage resilience and build on existing strengths so clients can move toward the changes they want to make.
Online approaches that match your goals
Melanie integrates Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Client-Centered Therapy as foundational tools in online work. CBT focuses on identifying unhelpful thinking and behavior patterns and developing practical strategies to shift them, which can help with anxiety, depression, mood symptoms, and stress. Client-centered therapy emphasizes listening, empathy, and collaboration so clients steer the work while the therapist supports exploration and growth.She also uses Motivational Interviewing to help people clarify their ambivalence and increase readiness for change, especially when making behavior shifts or navigating life transitions. These approaches are used together in a flexible, client-guided way so the specific methods align with each person’s goals and preferences. Melanie views finding the best fit as a collaborative process and will discuss options openly to shape an individualized plan.
Online sessions are offered via video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging to provide flexibility for different schedules and comfort levels. This range of formats makes it easier to access consistent support from South Dakota while balancing work, caregiving, or other commitments. The therapist and client can choose the format that works best and adjust it over time as needs change.
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Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
11+ years
Licensed
South Dakota
Languages
English