OB: Are you a convert to Orthodoxy, or did you grow up in the Faith? If you are a convert, what drew you to Orthodoxy?

Melissa: I grew up in a home where no faith was practiced. I believe my parents had faith but no one went to church. At 10, I became an Episcopalian. Over the next decades I watched the Episcopal go the way of secular society and paganism.  At 54, I came home to Orthodoxy. I wanted the unchanging Truth that Orthodoxy holds out to all people. It has been a joy each day!

OB: What is a professional clinical counselor, and what sort of training have you had?

The State of Ohio has granted me the license to be a professional clinical counselor. In order to gain the license a person must have a Masters Degree in counseling and then be supervised by a licensed counselor during 3,000 hours of counseling.  Then follow more classes and a national test. This license allows me to practice independently of anyone else if I choose and to diagnose mental illness.  I have also been trained and hold the license to supervise those working on their license.

OB: What kinds of needs do you specialize in?

Melissa: I specialize in working with people with mood disorders, anxiety disorders, those with post-traumatic stress disorder (especially from early physical and sexual abuse),  as well as people who want to address their issues with life and stress through therapy based on Biblical principles. The majority of therapists today deny the truths of Biblical principles, while over 90 % of people hold just such beliefs.

OB: What kinds of therapies do you use to help people? 

Melissa: I use a variety of approaches with my clients. I may work on behavioral change or change in ways of thinking, but all I do is based on the core beliefs that with God there is always hope for change and that each person is created in the image of God and therefore has immeasurable worth.

OB: What are some signs that a person needs clinical counseling?

Melissa: When depression, anxiety, stress and past trauma begin to interfere with normal life activities (work, family, friends) and/or if a family doctor is prescribing anti-depressant or anti-anxiety medication, it is a good indication that seeking support and help from a clinical therapist might be helpful.

I would like to correct a mistaken belief that I find many people have about counseling. Good counseling can be of significant help to many people who are not at all ‘mentally ill.’ We all have stress in our lives today. Technology has overwhelmed us with information. What would have taken months to reach the news in my parent’s generation, now reaches us in live-feed. We all have challenging situations arise in our families, with our children or grandchildren or at work.

Often we are so close to the situations, and have such emotional ties to the people involved, that we lose perspective. Many of the clients I see come in for 4 to 6 sessions, just to gain perspective and a new way to approach the issues that concern them.  These are healthy people to whom the help of a third party, who is trained in stress management, can be of tremendous help. There are times in our lives when all of us can use a counselor to provide insight and support.

OB: Do most people come directly to you for help, or is there a referral process?

Melissa: Many people come directly to me for therapy but others are referred by Employee Assistance Programs at their workplace, by insurance companies or by friends or pastors. I am an in-network provider with many (though not all) insurance companies.

OB: Given the economic situation, a lot of people are feeling anxious and worried. Do you have some advice for them in coping with these feelings?

Melissa: The economic situation has caused many people great anxiety. As Orthodox Christians it is important to remember that God is always in charge. As we read the Scriptures and the writings of the Fathers, as we read the lives of the saints, we always see God offering hope to his people.

There are four things I am suggest my clients do in this current time of difficulty. When you find you are thinking of a concern about the future of our economy or our nation, ask the question:

• Can I do anything about this right now? If the answer is yes, then do it immediately. If the answer is no, go to the next step.
• Now ask the question, is there anything I can do about this in the next few days/weeks/months? If the answer is yes, write out what you can do on a post-it note or on a calendar and set it aside for later. This will help take it out of your mind. If the answer is still no, then go to the next step.
• If you have no power to do anything about the situation – and that is true for many of us today – then write the concern down and present it to God. As Othodox Christians, we know He has the power over the whole earth at all times. Place it in his hands. Take the written concerns and place them in your Bible, in your prayer corner, or bring them to church and light a candle and offer them up to God.
• Finally, and continually, make a list daily of thanksgiving for all you do have and present your thanks to God. Take the list whenever you are at Divine Liturgy, Vespers, and in your own daily prayers and thank Him for being so present in your life. Pray the great hymns and prayers that the Church has used for centuries. Meditate upon the words. Own the words we say every liturgy – God is in our midst! He is and ever shall be!

 OB: You mentioned in your profile that you do presentations on mental health issues as they relate to Orthodoxy. Can you expound on this? How do these two topics relate?

Melissa: Orthodoxy speaks to every issue that can arise in our lives. Good mental health involves knowing who we are and who God is and then walking forward, day by day. I have spoken to groups on child rearing, stress management, marriage, conflict resolution, overcoming depression, the impact of dysfunctional families and many other mental health topics. There is not one situation about which God has not held out hope in the Bible and in our Traditions. Did you have a dysfunctional family?  So did Joseph in the Old Testament. Have you felt depressed even though you know God has acted in your life? So did Elijah. Did you try to do it all yourself? So did Moses. Have you committed great sin? So did David and St. Paul. Have you doubted God? So did St. Thomas and Moses.

Did you know that our temples are built on the model of the Hebrew Temple? Did you know that both are models of our human body? Did you know it is a model of our brain and its functions? Well, it is all there. Sometimes not in an obvious way until some shows us the place to look. This is what I work to do with my clients and in my talks.

In my office I have icons and an oil lamp burning when I am working. Clients who are not Orthodox often ask me why they are there. I tell them this is a reminder to me of who I am and of who God is. He has the healing. I am attempting to be his instrument. I hold his Truth in my broken clay vessel. I am no healer, I have no wisdom of my own. He is infinite wisdom and He is the healer.

For more information about Melissa or to contact her, visit her entry in the Orthodox Biz Directory by clicking here.

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 [Melissa McCutcheon - Orthodox Professional Clinical Counselor]

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