Episode Details

On this episode of the Natasha Helfer Podcast, Natasha is joined by Mellissa Perry Hill, MS, LPC. They discuss how high-demand religions affect the "self".

Mellissa Perry Hill, MS, LPC is a Licensed Professional Counselor and approved clinical supervisor based in Arizona, where she owns and operates Inner Compass Counseling & Consultation, LLC, a small group practice serving clients in Arizona and Utah through virtual and in-person care. Her work centers on supporting individuals and couples healing from religious trauma, spiritual abuse, and faith transitions, with particular experience working with those impacted by high-control religious systems, including Mormonism.

Mellissa's clinical approach integrates EMDR, Internal Family Systems (IFS), DBT, and narrative therapy, with an emphasis on nervous system regulation, identity reconstruction, values-based living, and restoring internal authority after spiritual harm. Her work is shaped by both professional training and lived experience navigating faith transition and major life change.

She is the author of the "Faith Transition Journal," a self-published reflective resource created to support individuals processing disaffiliation, grief, and meaning-making after leaving religion. Mellissa has developed and facilitated curricula and group experiences for local faith-transition and religious-trauma communities and regularly provides consultation, supervision, and education for clinicians working in this area.

Mellissa has been a guest on numerous podcasts and professional conversations focused on religious trauma, ethical mental health care, and post-faith identity development. She also maintains an active online presence through her professional community and Instagram platform, @mellissaperrytherapy, where she offers education, reflection, and resources for both clinicians and clients. She is certified as a sex-informed professional and works with couples navigating intimacy, attachment, and relational repair after purity culture and spiritual conditioning.

Quick link: Instagram

@mellissaperrytherapy

@shley.does.therapy (the other clinician who works with men and LDS specific issues at Inner Compass!)

Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1CMsAzrjS6/

Clinician Newsletter: https://inner-compass-counseling.com/instagram-email-subscribers

Website: www.inner-compass-counseling.com

Faith Transition Journal: http://www.amazon.com/dp/b0cdz79s55/

Psych Today: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists/mellissa-perry-hill-gilbert-az/848150

Booking for Clients: https://inner-compass.clientsecure.me/

To help keep this podcast going, please consider donating at natashahelfer.com and share this episode. To watch the video of this podcast, you can subscribe to Natasha's channel on Youtube and follow her professional Facebook page at natashahelfer LCMFT, CST-S. You can find all her cool resources at natashahelfer.com.

The information shared on this program is informational and should not be considered therapy.

This podcast addresses many topics around mental health and sexuality and may not be suitable for minors. Some topics may elicit a trigger or emotional response so please care for yourself accordingly.

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