ABOUT MELISSA • CENTRAL COAST NSW

Holistic Counsellor, Healer & Yoga Teacher
on the Central Coast

Supporting women and couples to understand themselves more deeply, feel more connected and create meaningful change — through counselling, nervous system awareness, embodiment and holistic healing.

Tuggerah, Central Coast NSW • In-person + online

Melissa Krestensen holistic counsellor, healer and yoga teacher on the Central Coast NSW
My Approach

Support that sees the whole of you

I've never believed that healing is simply about fixing a symptom or finding the perfect thing to say.

We're shaped by our experiences, relationships, beliefs, emotions, nervous system and the ways we've learned to protect ourselves — often long before we consciously understood what was happening.

For me, a big part of this work begins with creating enough safety to slow down. When we're constantly living in survival mode, it can be difficult to hear our own needs, feel our emotions clearly or understand the patterns we've been repeating.

Safety first. Then we can gently unravel what sits underneath. ♡

As you begin to feel safer and more supported, there can be space to explore the protective patterns, beliefs, emotional responses and ways of relating that may have developed through years of simply trying to cope, keep going or hold everything together.

That's why my work brings together counselling, nervous system awareness, emotional healing, embodiment and holistic practices. Sometimes we talk things through. Sometimes we notice what's happening in the body. Sometimes we explore old patterns or younger parts of ourselves that are still asking to be understood.

The aim isn't to turn you into someone new. It's to help you understand yourself more deeply, reconnect with the parts of yourself that may have been lost beneath survival and begin creating change from a more grounded, connected place.

Create safety

Slow things down and create a supportive space where your nervous system doesn't always have to be on guard.

Understand the pattern

Gently explore the beliefs, protective responses and relationship patterns that may have developed over time.

Reconnect with yourself

Begin hearing your own needs, emotions, boundaries and inner voice beneath the noise of simply getting through.

Create meaningful change

Build new ways of responding, relating and supporting yourself from a place of greater awareness and connection.

At the heart of my work is this: when we create enough moments of safety, we can begin to soften the patterns that once helped us survive and make more room for connection, choice and the person we already are underneath it all. ♡
My Story

How I found my way here

Before this work became such a big part of my life, I spent more than a decade running a successful graphic design and print business.

Then, in 2015, I was sitting in a Las Vegas boardroom surrounded by entrepreneurs at a high-level business mastermind when something completely unexpected happened.

When it was my turn to receive advice about my business, I burst into tears.

I don't want to be doing this anymore.

The words I hadn't realised I needed to say.

I didn't have a new plan waiting for me. I just knew something inside me was asking to be listened to.

That moment became a turning point — permission to stop pushing towards something that no longer felt right and begin exploring what actually felt meaningful to me.

What followed was years of my own healing, learning and professional training across counselling, yoga, Reiki, relationships, nervous system support, embodiment, meditation and holistic healing.

And in many ways, that journey still shapes how I work today. I know what it's like to keep going because that's what you've always done — and how powerful it can be when you finally create enough space to hear what is happening underneath. ♡
Before

A completely different career

More than a decade building and running my own successful graphic design and print business.

2015

A moment that changed direction

One very unexpected moment in Las Vegas made me realise I couldn't keep ignoring what I was feeling inside.

The Years That Followed

Healing, learning & training

I immersed myself in both personal healing and professional training, gradually bringing together the practices and perspectives that resonated most deeply.

Today

Work that feels deeply meaningful

I now support women and couples through counselling, healing, relationships, nervous system work, yoga and experiences designed to bring people back into connection.

Qualifications, Training & Experience

Professional training with a holistic foundation

My work has been shaped by years of professional training, continued learning and experience across counselling, relationships, nervous system support, yoga, meditation, energy healing and embodied practices.

10+ Years

Supporting healing, personal growth and deeper connection

Over the years I've worked one-to-one, supported couples, facilitated groups and experiences, taught yoga and meditation, and continued to deepen both my professional training and understanding of holistic wellbeing.

Qualifications & Modalities

My professional training

This broader range of training allows me to draw from different approaches while keeping the person in front of me at the centre of the work.

  • Master Holistic Counsellor
  • Intuitive Rebirth Practitioner
  • Reiki Master Teacher
  • Accredited Tantra Practitioner
  • Certified Spiritual Life Coach
  • Vinyasa, Yin & Prenatal Yoga Teacher
  • Certified Meditation & Mindfulness Teacher
  • Quantum Healer
  • Emotion Code Practitioner
  • Soul Realignment Practitioner
  • Sound Healing Practitioner
Professional Membership

IICT Member

Member of the International Institute for Complementary Therapists.

Training gives me tools. The person in front of me guides how I use them. ♡

I don't believe every person needs every modality. My approach is to draw from my training where it feels appropriate, while keeping safety, connection, consent and what feels supportive for you at the centre of our work.

Ways to Work With Me

Support for wherever you are right now

Whether you're looking for a space that is just for you, support within your relationship, a way to reconnect through your body or a deeper healing experience, there are different ways we can work together.

Holistic counselling support for women

Counselling for Women

A supportive space to explore overwhelm, self-worth, boundaries, relationship patterns, life transitions and reconnecting with yourself.

Explore Women's Counselling →
Relationship counselling for couples

Relationship Counselling

Support for couples wanting to understand their patterns, communicate more openly and rebuild emotional connection, safety and intimacy.

Explore Relationship Counselling →
Holistic healing and Reiki session

Healing

Gentle holistic sessions that can draw on Reiki, meditation, nervous system support, emotional healing and embodied practices.

Explore Healing →
Yoga classes at Melissa Krestensen's Tuggerah studio

Yoga

Small, welcoming yoga classes in my private Tuggerah studio, surrounded by nature and designed to help you move, breathe and reconnect.

Explore Yoga Classes →
Women's circles and holistic wellbeing experiences

Experiences

Intimate women's circles, Night of Bliss evenings and other experiences created for slowing down, connection, reflection and restoration.

Explore Upcoming Experiences →
Prefer to begin from home?
I also create guided resources, courses and practices you can move through in your own time.
Explore Courses & Digital Resources →
Kind Words

From people I've had the privilege of supporting

Every person's journey is different, but creating a space where people feel heard, supported and able to reconnect with themselves is always at the heart of my work.

A beautiful teacher, healer and gives guidance from the heart.

Melissa is professional, calm, nurturing and intuitive. I've been with Melissa one-on-one, in group settings and always feel included, listened to and walk away with more knowledge than when I walked in with.

Melissa has been a wonderful mentor throughout my adult life.

I could not recommend a more beautiful woman to give you clarity and insight to help nurture and heal from the inside out. She is passionate about her craft and has a wonderful studio among the bellbirds.

Seeing you for a healing session is always something I look forward to.

I feel like I release so much not just in our Reiki session but in our chats too. I get clarification on what I'm seeking. I walk away like I can conquer my fears or the noise of doubt has been eliminated.

Empowering, eye opening and uplifting.

I just wanted to say a massive thank you to you for holding such a safe and sacred space for us today. It was empowering, eye opening and uplifting. Thank you so much.

I have noticed an increase in joy, love and gratitude in my life.

It has been an incredible journey, allowing me to see deeper parts of myself, feel supported in a like-minded community and explore open and honest communication whilst feeling heard and seen.

Real words from people I've had the privilege of supporting through different parts of my work. ♡
If My Approach Resonates

You don't need to know exactly where to begin

Maybe you're looking for support for yourself, your relationship, your nervous system or simply a way to feel more connected again. You don't need to arrive with everything figured out.

We can begin with a conversation.
A free 15 minute discovery call gives you space to share a little about what you're looking for, ask any questions and get a sense of whether working together feels like the right fit.
Tuggerah, Central Coast NSW
In-person support + online sessions available

Melissa Krestensen Counselling, Yoga & Healing
Tuggerah, Central Coast NSW 2259
Counselling for women & couples • Yoga • Healing