Welcome to the Inner Compass blog, where you’ll find insights, resources, and support for navigating life transitions, religious trauma, and personal growth. Each post is designed to help you gain new perspectives and practical tools for your journey. Explore topics that matter to you and discover ways to align your life with your true values.
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Emotional Overwhelm After Leaving Church: Anxiety, Depression, and Mental Health Effects Leaving a high-control religion or belief system changes more than your beliefs. It changes your entire life, your social world, your identity, your relationships, and how you see yourself. For many people, leaving means starting over in every area of life at once. And […]
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Written by: Ashley Kirkpatrick, LAC Understanding Gender Roles in Religion and Breaking Gender Roles For many men raised in high-control religious environments, the messages about “being a man” are rarely explicit, they’re taught through patterns, expectations, and unspoken rules. These lessons often center around performing for others, particularly women, and can quietly shape how men […]
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People Pleasing in Relationships: How The Fawn Response and Religious Trauma Turn Love Into Obligation Author: Ashley Kirkpatrick LAC “I don’t know what love is without fear attached to it.” That’s what Evan said in our session as he stared at his hands, struggling to explain why he felt so anxious in his relationship. He […]
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Written by Ashley Kirkpatrick, LAC Intuition vs. Nervous System Response inReligious Trauma: How to Tell the Difference It’s a quiet Friday morning. Clients aren’t until this afternoon and I just finished watching adocumentary about the Mormon church. It was not heartwarming—it was terrifying. I suddenlyfound myself urgently wanting to take action. I didn’t just want […]
Mellissa grew up in Southern California in a large family, heavily involved in high control conservative religion. She went on to attend college at Brigham Young University-Idaho where she studied sociology and family studies. She then spent 10 years as a stay at home parent. Life pivoted for Mellissa when she experienced a divorce and faith transition and began her own work in therapy.
She spent 5 years as an educator while obtaining her masters degree in professional counseling. She has spent the last 4 years specializing her practice to help others going through major unexpected life transitions, finding healing in the present moment and creating futures that align with their core values. Mellissa’s personal experiences, combined with her specialized expertise and focused study, create a uniquely supportive and effective clinical practice for individuals navigating major life transitions.
MELLISSA'S STORY
