Mel is a Licensed Associate Marriage and Family Therapist (LAMFT 3991). She holds a Master's Degree from Bethel Seminary in Marriage and Family Therapy in St. Paul. She specializes in trauma within first responder and military populations. Other areas of interest are family or origin issues, relationship issues, anxiety and communication. She is a Master ART Practitioner in Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART) and also utilizes IFS in healing trauma. She believes regulating the nervous system is truly the key to being able to manage stress and heal trauma responses. She also focuses on practical changes that are realistic for your life. At the end of the day, her biggest goal for all of her clients is to work herself out of a job. 

She is the wife of a trooper and understands how first responder occupations can affect relationships with schedule changes, OT, etc. She has been told she is easy to talk to and makes therapy a less nerve-wracking experience. She loves to laugh at witty jokes, dry jokes, dark humor, and believes that laughter can be just as healing as crying. She is pretty direct and sweary, however, remains compassionate.

​While not in the therapy room, she is a Training Coordinator for TacMobility, a company that focuses on LE stress recovery and resiliency, volunteers as the Wellness Director for Backing the Blue Line, and also published a workbook (Getting to Code 4: A Workbook for Law Enforcement). ​

As a LAMFT, she is under the supervision of a MN Board Approved LMFT supervisor while completing her remaining hours. 

​You can reach Mel at mel.koenen@betterthingsaheadmn.com or by text/call at 763-200-6206. More about Mel can be found at www.betterthingsaheadmn.com.